Silver and Scales
by Lokis-Army-1st-Lieutenant
Summary: While Thor is exiled, Loki claims his birthright to the throne of Asgard. As king, Loki marries his old childhood friend, Vyperia; their love, anger, jealousy, and morals are tested as the throne slowly slips out of Loki's hands. Contains arc, angst, canon, ER, fluff.
1. An Asgardian Celebration

Silver and Scales

_A/N: This is a Loki fan fiction that is full of character development; it is not an assortment of smut. If you want to read a story that is full of intimacy, enduring conversations, passionate embraces, raging arguments, and a story that delves into a created relationship between Loki and an OFC, this is a story for you. :) I hope you love it. _KNEEL!_ ;) Couldn't resist..._

Chapter One: An Asgardian Celebration

Loki peered at his reflection into the delicate pond in the basin of Asgard's resplendent garden. With few hours before his brother's coronation left to go, he glanced at himself through the glistening waters, curious and wondering if he looked at all nervous. A youthful face that had seen the winters of a thousand years, Loki Odinson bore features of slight innocence though a strong capability of beckoning to mischief. It was a very good description as any. As God of Mischief, nobody could expect anything else. In his casual clothes, Loki was handsomely dressed as and was an Asgardian prince. His attire was an elegant mix of forest green and royal gold; it often clashed with his brother's crimson red and silver metal. His eyes, ever lightly blue and shining with pride for his brother Thor, smoldered with municipal envy.

He had been looking forward to this day as long as Thor had; but Loki was the second-born, and his desired reign over Asgard would not come unless Thor proved to be unworthy of the title of All-Father. While Loki prayed that Thor's safety would not be sent to a realm such as Midgard or Jotunheim, he wondered if ever he could be the true king of his beloved home.

Thor had always treated him as a brother, never a subject. He loved him, and he knew this.

Loki's thoughts were silently interrupted by a face that appeared over his shoulder. A visage of loveliness, a pair of light green eyes met his through the water's reflection like a clear mirror. A face framed by long, straight blonde hair observed him through the water's calm surface. Loki recognized the face and felt the familiar tug in his stomach at the sight of his old childhood friend.

He rose from his bent position and turned around to look upon his childhood friend.

Vyperia Sallerius appeared to him in blue and white robes, decorated by small pieces of jewelry in her beautiful hair; she wore a friendly, pleasant formal smile on her face.

"You wear a long face, my prince of Asgard," she greeted with a respectful bow of her head.

Loki observed her swiftly. He rose to his feet and expressed his gratitude with open arms,

"Ah, Vyperia, you came."

She broke her formal deposition as a loyal royal-maiden and enthusiastically flung her arms around his neck, pulling him close in a tight, loving embrace. Loki was stunted for a moment, but held her fast, welcoming her joyous greeting as if he had been spared genuine affection for the longest time. A small sigh of one missing her emitted from his mouth and she planted a sweet kiss on the apple of his cheek.

This was Vyperia, the goddess of guardianship.

She was his first friend, aside from Thor, when he first came to Asgard as a child.

Young Loki and Vyperia instantly had bonded through their commonality of magical abilities. Loki's mastery of the arcane arts had easily enticed her; and he knew that although he felt different from the rest, she was not the only one who stood apart from the other Asgardian shield-maidens and goddesses.

Vyperia was different by, not personality or good humor, but because she was regarded as a mutated phenomenon among those who were gifted with mere Asgardian strengths and abilities as the Amazon warriors of Greek mythology.

Her abilities were not uncommon to those of a super-human snake charmer.

Loki had learned that, in her own right, she was the embodiment of viper (noted for the reason _why_ she was named 'Vyperia').

One thing that was particularly bizarre about her was her sensitive sensors of her touch. Her body was sensitive to the ground; if someone should walk by her, she could feel the vibrations through her feet (or if she was lying on the ground, through her entire body). Her other sensory enhancement was her smell, though it only applied to the one time that she had been in Midgard—for some reason, it only applied to humans, of whom she could track easily with just her nose.

As characteristically close to a snake as one person could be, Loki had always found her prehensile tongue engaging and entertaining. By definition, a prehensile tongue was an abnormality in a person's anatomical mouth: a physically long tongue that was not accompanied by a chemical imbalance.

By normal standards in her domain, Vyperia's tongue assumed the length of one foot. This was it's original size. If desired, she could extend the elasticity and her tongue would wrap around her body several times. While it was _extremely_ bizarre and disturbing to others like the Warriors Three, Loki had always found it particularly amusing to see her literally lick clean a plate that was several feet away.

Vyperia had fought several times alongside Loki and Thor. She was a formidable warrior, though no one could tell this aptitude about her while she embraced him in the garden. Pleasant, entertaining, sweet, and usually in a good humor, Vyperia was ever so gentle in her regular mannerism. Loki, though, had seen her when she had become furious; and although he never feared that side of her, it still was an unpleasant sight to see.

She beheld some daunting tactics if ever she became hostile.

As a snake-like predominant woman, her strength was formidable enough to squeeze a victim so hard that, during the battle at Nifleheim, she had stopped a Dark Elf from breathing. He had fallen to his knees, motionless, after thirty-seconds of constriction within her grip.

While Vyperia's prehensile tongue could always be a source of entertainment, she had a nuerotoxin, described by humans as an extremely deadly poison that is comparable to a lethal injection, that was secreted from her tongue on demand. This venomous ability was extremely deadly. The venom was a paralysis-inducing agent that, after a few minutes, would follow with agonizing pain.

Loki had seen this done first hand when she had performed such a lethal performance on a human who had killed a newborn infant in front of her when she was still in her youth.

Vyperia, beautiful and smooth skinned, possessed a manifestation (which granted her the noun of a mutant) to develop a dermal scale armor along her body. Scales, comparably strong to that of a Midgardian's riot shield, would creep onto her body like an extensive body armor. Volstagg, Fandral, Hogun, and had nicknamed her 'Scales' after this happened.

One other manifestation that Vyperia was infamous for, and was the reason why so many condemned her to such an impersonated reputation, was that she could literally shape-shift into a monster that was half-woman, half-snake. It was a beastly occurrence that had only happened when she had been cornered by an array of Dark Elves: an absolute last resort. It was both disturbing and fascinating, and beheld much of Vyperia's abilities to the highest extreme—she was a deadly weapon.

While others perceived that Vyperia was a snake under a sheep's skin—sweet, soft-tempered, generous, and compassionate—but a judgmental, conniving, vengeful, vindictive, grudge-monkey underneath all of that—Loki had perceived something greater than her than that.

They were wrong. She was sentimental, loving, kind, and very loyal.

"You look absolutely handsome, Loki," complimented Vyperia, "a true prince of the All-Father."

"I would return the compliment," commented Loki with a charming smile, setting his hands on her shoulders at arms length, "but there are no words." He gestured to her primped blonde hair. "You did something different, didn't you?" His hand on her shoulder inquisitively swept a few stray strands of her hair off her shoulders.

"The other women believed that it would make me look less pale if it fell pass my shoulders instead of hanging up on the top of my head like a bird," retorted Vyperia self-consciously. She looked at him, embarrassed. "Why? Does it look peculiar? You don't like it?"

Loki stopped her from trying to fix it; his hands grabbed hers quickly before she could touch her hair.

"Darling, it looks fine," he assured her. "For what it is worth, I think that you look as stunning as you do now even if you had no hair on top of your head."

She blushed softly.

"Do you flirt with me, Loki of Asgard?" she retorted coyly.

"Yes," Loki answered truthfully. "Is it working?"

"One-hundred years and you're still apt to court me on a whim—you are truly the god of mischief," answered Vyperia, though flattered all the same. "Loki, it is your brother's _big_ day. His coronation...I think that if you and I went to your mother and father and told them what we have been doing, it might ruin the moment, don't you think?"

"I think that they already know, Vyperia," replied Loki shamelessly. "If you had let me conceal you during courtship, we might have been able to avoid their gazes much longer. I _am_ a master at magic; it would have been easy to do it."

"Well, why didn't you?" Vyperia returned, straightening.

"As I recall," Loki began and immediately Vyperia's face flushed red at his segue, "you told me that even if our gatherings were caught by the guards, even Heimdall, it was...Oh, what _did _you say? I'm very certain that it complimented my apparent skill in—"

"Shh," Vyperia said quickly. She covered his mouth with her hand. He was surprised momentarily by her silence of him, but understood her sudden hushing when he saw three others coming from the distance. The Warriors Three and Lady Sif, all beaming, were several feet away.

"Don't say it aloud," she uttered, laughing slightly as she lowered her hand.

"They know too." Loki added.

"How could _they_ know?" hissed Vyperia, mortified although still appearing to laugh during this revelation. Loki's apparent delight in her embarrassment was infectious; even she couldn't stop smiling in her petty torment.

"I might have picked up some bragging rights when I told Thor."

"_He_ knows too?" Vyperia reacted incredulously.

"In my defense," Loki pointed out, "you don't make it very hard to see the attraction."

She stared at him.

"We have been old friends for a very long time," he said, without sarcasm or intent to tease her.

He sounded warm and meaningful.

"You are not like the other Asgardians, Vyperia. You're strange, bizarre, and you've got that odd prehensile tongue going for you there—love it, by the way—but always know that _that_ is the reason why we became friends."

"Because I have a long tongue, that's why you like me? Oh, Loki..." she teased.

When he merely smiled at her, she softened. Her eyes met his with an intention of being one who grasped the intensity of the conversation. A moment between them like this had always reverted to one of eminent passion. And love...

"Your brother may be the first-born, Loki. However," she began seriously, "you will_ always_ be my king."

Her genuinely cheerful eyes slowly fell to a gaze that was steadily one of mourning. He noticed the small switch and easily knew that she was bound to a conflict.

She looked upon him with a quiet gaze of one who knew something secretive and couldn't say but wanted to—and Loki sensed that in her eyes. It was something different, something off. Loki conveyed confusion. He had never seen it in her face before.

"You are the All-Father's second-born," she said seriously. "You are an Asgardian. Know that no matter what happens, whatever you do, whatever you become...I will stand by you...to whatever end."

Loki set a gentle hand along the confines of her smooth jaw, attempting to fish out the small piece of information that had made her sound so quiet and ill-spoken. She sounded almost as if she carried such a secret that would fault their relationship. The gaze in her eyes was one of silent condemnation. She could not speak it, as if sworn to it.

"Vyperia, are you ill?"

She shook her head.

"I know that you have always been envious of your brother, Loki," she said with a forced smile, one that would fool any Midgardian's line of questioning, but he could see past it with ease. "I know it because I have Felt it before with many of those who have been left by loved ones in Midgard. I know that you have always felt like you have lived in Thor's shadow, but I have noticed you. You are different, but you are mine."

"Vyperia, what are you not telling me?"

Before she could give him a reply, the Warriors Three had approached them before her lips could part for a decline or a formidable answer.

"Well, well, well, look who is finally dressed for such an occasion as this!" greeted Volstagg boisterously, cheerfully.

Loki slowly released Vyperia. She glanced at him furtively, knowing that their mutual tension in what had underwent would not go unfinished. She dreaded and welcomed his line of interrogation.

Her slight burden upon what she knew of his origin had haunted her since she was young, when she first learned of Loki's true parentage. As goddess of parenthood, she knew almost instantly that the child that had been brought to Asgard from Jotunheim had not been one of the Asgardian maidens. Her parents had no need to inform her; and no one aside Frigga or Odin knew. To Vyperia's disappointment—and in her older years—to her displeasure, she was sworn by oath to never tell Loki that it had been Odin who had taken him from his home after slaying several of its natives. While Loki's true father still lived, it was Vyperia's burden that she knew that Laufey had realized that his son had gone missing.

Odin's reason for taking Loki had not been one that Vyperia (Goddess of Guardianship) had particularly liked; and for years, she harbored this sordid secret.

Loki, unaware of this, glanced at his romantic partner in distant confusion and concern, though looked upon Volstagg with glad tidings.

"You look like you could use a feast, my friend," Loki joked, dilapidated still from the intense conversation from which he had been withdrawn so abruptly.

"I am _always_ ready for a feast," agreed Volstagg.

He stroked his full beard in contemplation before turning his attention to the ever-glowing shield-maiden of parenthood and fertility. "My dear, you look beautiful. I don't think that I've seen you dressed so properly since we left Nifleheim."

"Dressed properly?" she returned, turning to him. "If you recall, I was wearing a suit of armor."

"Scales do not count for clothes, Vyperia," coined Volstagg good-heartedly.

He meant no perversion by this comment. It was in his nature to jab at Vyperia's ability to manifest her own protective skin.

"I don't remember seeing _you_ climbing out of Nifleheim unscathed," Lady Sif chimed in dutifully. "You barely made it out alive."

"I admit," he said with a raised hand, "that if it hadn't been for Scales, we wouldn't have made it out alive, and Thor, of course."

"I'm certain that it had been Loki who saved our asses that day," remarked Vyperia. "Thor might have led us into battle, dear friends, but it had been he who availed us in smoke for a quick getaway."

Loki smiled at the credit that she passed onto him.

Leave it to Vyperia to give it where credit was due. A redeeming quality about her was a sense of honor in her loyalty to him.

"Of course, he always comes through!" cried out Volstagg. He playfully punched Loki in the arm.

Vyperia smiled warmly at her dear friend. Loki met her eyes and returned it.

"When are you two going to make it official, hm?" asked Fandral, who picked up the exchanged glances between them. "It could be a glorious after-event of Thor's coronation! Thor, King of Asgard. Loki—prince of Asgard. Vyperia—prin_cess_ of Asgard...with a little venom."

"Thor's coronation is _his_ day," replied Vyperia respectively. "Even if I wanted to go public with my new found affection for Loki, it would be inappropriate..."

"Oh, what new found affection, Scales?" harassed Volstagg humorously. Vyperia glanced at him as he mocked her turn of phrase. "Nothing is new about this sort of love. I think lightning struck—if you pardon the phrase—when you locked eyes across the room when you first met him across the battlefield."

"War does have a way of bringing people together," said Loki sarcastically.

"Well, maybe I'm exaggerating," Volstagg relinquished, hands up in the air in playful defense. "But there _is_ nothing new about what you two share. Before we were told about your little...ahem..._encounters_...you two have _always_ been thick as thieves, if not thicker."

"It is a beautiful thing, though," Lady Sif remarked meaningfully. "I mean, it is brilliant in Asgard today, is it not? Once upon a time there was war, anger, and deceit; and now Asgard is having a new king, and why not have a little romance in the air, Volstagg? It has been a long time since Asgard has seen happiness like this."

"It is not newsworthy," Vyperia declined.

"It is if I want it to be," Loki remarked, turning to her.

Vyperia's face betrayed her calm tone. She was taken aback by the seriousness in his voice. His words would have been playful and meaningless if he hadn't looked at her with such intent in his eyes. Lady Sif glanced between them knowingly. She turned to her fellow warriors and signaled for them to follow her.

"We'll meet you in the castle, yes?"

Loki nodded to them as an answer.

When they were well out of earshot, Loki and Vyperia continued in conversation.

"What are you talking about, Loki?" said Vyperia seriously.

"It is not newsworthy?" he asked her softly.

"What?"

"If I went to Father and Mother today and told them about us, it wouldn't be newsworthy?" Loki clarified.

"Your brother's coronation is today, and it should remain his day."

"_Every_day is _his_ day," stated Loki without malice, though the jealousy was evident in his voice.

She didn't meant to strike into his heart that their courting was nothing. It was far from what she meant. She looked at him, knowing the envy in his voice.

"Should you have parades and monuments placed in the gardens if I agreed that you should go to Odin and Frigga about our gatherings?" said Vyperia sarcastically. "Darling, we don't need to have the nine realms know that you and I—"

"Not all of them, pet," remarked Loki.

Her expression shifted with sardonic intention to one of shocked and underestimation. He ever called her 'pet' during moments that would create exact passion. It was her nickname that was most affectionate and concealed by lust.

Vyperia gazed at him quietly.

"The throne of Asgard belongs to an Asgardian king, love," explained Vyperia calmly, though she was gently stoned by the strong intensity of a gaze that was slowly turning to one of growing frustration.

Loki wanted Asgard to know that he had chosen somebody who deserved a place in the royal ranks. She was not a simple subject of the guard, despite her status as a goddess.

Loki's frustration was fueled by their constant sneaking around and Thor's overshadowing of his deeds—such as the instance in Nifleheim. There was a lot in Loki's mind that troubled him; and Vyperia's insignificant pass at the worthiness of their relationship had struck a nerve.

"We are important to Odin and Frigga, but it would be disrespectful to shadow Thor's coronation with our union," said Vyperia gently, her eyes pleading. "You know that I have harbored a love for you since our first encounter. Is that not enough?"

Loki considered her words.

"I suppose," he began softly, "that I might have jumped to a false conclusion."

"False," she replied, "but understood."

She leaned forward and kissed him sweetly on the cheek.

"If you trust nothing about what I say," she continued, "trust my loyalty. Trust my heart. It may seem sometimes that I favor Thor's opinion over yours, or that I agree with the latter." A smile appeared on her warm face. "But always know that my heart will and _always_ will ache for you."

Loki smiled.

His pointed fingers lightly grazed the frame of her jaw to pull her into an irresistible kiss. It was a brief, but warm acknowledgment of her understanding of his irritation in a split-second. When he withdrew after making the statement clear, he was pleased to see her tongue graze the line of her lips with ease.

"I might persuade you to come by my chambers tonight," Loki said easily as her tongue slipped back into her mouth. "It's a curious thing that we've never put that into good use."

She smirked.

"No matter of your intentions would be considered 'good', love."

Loki chuckled handsomely.

"Then I suppose that my reputation in mischief would precede me, wouldn't it, pet?"

Loki motioned for her to follow him up into the castle.

The time for Thor's coronation was almost here.


	2. The Garden of Eden

Silver and Scales

Chapter Two: The Garden of Eden

Loki led Vyperia through the garden, his hand lightly pressed into the small of her back. While it was an insignificant gesture to anyone else, Vyperia was smiling widely as she felt the small pressure against her body.

Their relationship was found on the brightest foundation of friendship and common ground, but there was an undeniable strength in the amount of passion that was always present in the burning fires beneath her stomach. It was always there, churning, waiting, boiled in anticipation. When she had risen out of puberty, it was obvious to her—since her prime specialty _was _the creation of Man—that the stirring sensations in her belly that quaked her being whenever Loki appeared before her was heavy urgency. Lust was always in her heart, merely lingering every hour that passed in Loki's presence. There was no denying that she craved the god of mischief daily, even if she solely denied it.

Loki's simple touch on the small of her back burned like coal ablaze in a fire. It was a spark to a waiting gas fume. Her smile was self-evident when they continued to walk through the garden, approaching closer to the castle. Loki glanced at her, noticing that she seemed to wear a permanent smile on her face whenever he was around.

He didn't pretend to misunderstand her apparent urgency. A smirk played on his thin lips in self-evident smugness. He relished the fact that a small bit of pressure upon her could set a fire in her belly. This was something that he prided in himself: _he was the only one who could make her feel that way_. Love was fine; they shared a mutual respect in it. Lust was something more than just rekindling a spark. It was a dominant trait that was expressed through a carnal competition of heated pleasure...and pain.

He felt it too.

"Vyperia, come with me."

She looked at him, startled.

"Your brother's coronation begins in less than two hours," she prompted him. "You should get ready..."

He grasped her wrist and shook his head, trailing her away from the path that led out to the walkway and up to the stairs. Instead, he wordlessly walked toward a veil—it was Asgard's private sector, a garden of Eden—if one believed in the theology of the Midgardians. Vyperia, slightly confused albeit sparked with excitement, didn't fight the hold that he had on her hand. She followed him as he led her off the path. When she conceded to his direction, he released her hand and led her beside him, his arm around her waist.

"Would you mind telling me what we are doing?"

"You will know soon enough," Loki assured her.

Her stomach dropped when she heard his voice lower to a tone that was enticing and hoarse. They passed through the long, sweeping branches of a willow tree; its vines symbolized a flowing, natural curtain. Asgard was a mystical place, full of exotic beauty—nature's trees, flowers, and scents were as mesmerizing as the architecture that made up the wonders of the country.

A Midgardian would have mistaken it for his Heaven.

When they could not be seen by physical eyes, Loki took Vyperia by surprise when he pulled her through his grasp and pushed her unceremoniously against the thick trunk of a willow tree. Vyperia uttered a startled cry before she was pleasantly silenced by Loki's assault on her mouth, kissing her smoothly.

He cornered Vyperia against the trunk with his body, hot and bothered. Her hands went almost limp at her side as she realized what this was, and wrapped her arms around his neck; she countered his kiss with one of a passion that had been restrained for days. His long fingers snaked up her side, caressing the small bundles of muscle along her stomach and light scars that followed up between her ribcage.

Vyperia's skin tingled beneath her clothes. She pulled away, only inches from him; he grinned mischievously as her tongue, slender and soft, slipped out of her pretty mouth to eloquently lick his bottom lip. Loki's skin crawled when he heard an unmistakable _hiss_ emit from her, a viperous sound. He had heard this noise come from her before, and only ever heard it when she either was enraged or in desperate heat. He didn't fear it; but it caused a welcomed sensation to creep along his spine. The sound was ex-terrestrial...but beautiful.

"Surely, this is inappropriate..." she said quietly.

"There is _nothing_ appropriate here," remarked Loki derisively.

"We cannot be seen doing this."

"We won't..." he whispered in a low, hoarse voice, holding her waist. The intensity and validity of his tone fed a lusty fire in Vyperia's belly, immediately wetting her between her legs. She closed her eyes when she felt familiar sensation tear through her stomach.

Loki pulled her body against his; she felt his insistence along her inner thigh, even through the barrier of their clothes. His lips fell upon the shell of her ear, hot breath steady against the trail from her earlobe to her neck. Vyperia's hands fidgeted along Loki's shoulders, quaking gently as if the Asgardian prince had her under some spell.

While one hand held her hip, Loki's other hand dipped between their bodies and slowly cupped Vyperia between her legs; she nearly lost her balance from his nimble touch if it hadn't been for his pressure against her and her back against the tree. Loki smirked as he drew a small moan from Vyperia's lips.

She wasn't at a loss. She quickly regained her balance. Her fingers trailed from his strong shoulder and dipped between their bodies as he had to her; Loki uttered a soft gasp when she grabbed him through his trousers. Vyperia caught his mouth with hers; her kiss was strong. He smirked widely when he withdrew, and saw Vyperia's tongue once more slip out of her mouth between her lips. Though her head was pressed against the bark of the Willow, her tongue elongated and met the length of his neck several inches from her face where any other Asgardian's tongue could not reach.

Her pride in such an elastic organ was evident on her face when her tongue receded back into her mouth.

"What are the stakes this time, love?" she asked. Her fingers wrapped around him tauntingly; though he countered her tactic by squeezing her clit with some force; she winced slightly at the sudden pressure, but a tantalizing smile played on her beautiful face. "What are competing for now, Your Highness?"

Loki didn't answer. Instead he took handfuls of her dress and hiked them up to her waist, revealing soft cotton undergarments. While he held her robes up against her stomach with one hand, his other wrapped around her throat—he didn't threaten, but extended his will of force upon her body. She didn't startle when his fingers grasped her neck. Instead, she recoiled delightfully at his dominant demand.

"Tell me, Vyperia," he instructed her.

When she said nothing, Loki's hand around her throat tightened. Vyperia's breath hitched. While he made it a tad more difficult to breathe, a simple grin appeared on her face. Her hand around his insistent bulge fell away to clasp his wrist that held her head steady against the tree by her neck. Loki's stare was heated and lustful as he watched her fingers wrap around his wrist.

"Say it." Loki said instructively.

Her other hand slipped to her undergarments, pulling at her cotton panties in retreat, dying from anticipation and lust.

Loki smacked her hand away.

"Say it."

"Please," she uttered from his tight hold on her throat. "Please."

"You'll have to do better than that," he drawled.

Vyperia's hips pushed forward, hinting her desire for him. While Loki's eyes shifted to her waist, he glanced up at her in amusement. Loki released her neck and unfastened his trousers. While his hand was occupied, attempting to release himself through a disarray of lust, Vyperia flung forward.

She pushed him to the bed of grass, pinning him down on his back. Loki looked up at her, at first shocked, then pleased. She pinned his legs down with her knees, his trousers unbuttoned but still concealing his apparent erection. Her arms claimed his elbows. He lay underneath her, pinned by his extremities, merely capable of moving his head. Vyperia's eyes glinted in obvious relish of his restrained position, a quirky smirk playing on her beautiful face.

"You have gotten a bit stronger since our last encounter," he uttered, though not unamused by his observation.

"That silver tongue of yours is always playing with my mind," she told him. "What good does it do you now while I have you on your back?"

"It really depends on what you do while I'm on my back," he answered.

She chuckled at his vague reply. Her lips parted and once more her tongue snaked out of her mouth like her very own pet viper. It fell to his exposed collarbone and gently caressed it. The faintest touch of her tongue made him quiver beneath Vyperia's stomach. Her tongue lingered around his neck as if she were investigating his skin carefully, scrutinizing him. The sensation from an elongated organ was bizarre, but he liked it. The obvious peril that he was placed in conjured something of a risk in his mind if she should decide to paralyze him with the venom that raced through her mouth.

It was intoxicating.

Vyperia chuckled. Her tongue slithered back into her mouth. She lowered her face to his and kissed him; this time, it was not rough with passion. It was sensual. He returned it affectionately. Vyperia released his body from her restraints. She pulled at his trousers and freed him from his garment-covered prison. While she rose slightly off her lover to pull down her panties, Loki struck forward and pinned her to the ground—he was once more in control.

She squealed in delight as he wrestled her to the grassy floor. In a quick fury of lust, Loki pulled off her panties. He wrapped his hands tightly around her ankles and pulled her back. Vyperia's cheerful smile and happy eyes were replaced with a gaze of burning need.

His hands held her legs on either side of him. The tip of his throbbing member was poised at her slick entrance, awaiting abated permission. He didn't ask it of her. He wanted her to implore him for such a need.

"Vyperia," he said in a deep voice.

"Please, Loki," she begged quietly.

Loki's hands made a light circles along her splayed inner thighs. It stoked a roaring fire in Vyperia's belly. She uttered a moan.

"Say my name."

"Loki."

"Again."

"Loki."

He leaned forward. Once more, his hand crept around Vyperia's neck and she uttered a delighted moan. His dominance burned her between her legs. She felt moisture pull through her nether region as if he had forced it out of her with some spell. His pointed fingers clenched around her throat in demand.

"Say my name, and beg for it."

Vyperia's grin told him that she enjoyed every single moment of his petty tortures.

"Please, Loki, I beg of you."

Loki smiled widely.

"Good girl."

He permitted it.

Vyperia cried out as he pushed his member through her slick folds; his breath hitched as he buried deep down to his shaft. Her walls clenched roughly around him. Loki pulled nearly all the way out and plunged back into her; she moaned his name, ravenous. His hand around her throat tightened as he rode her tormented arousal. Her hips bucked against him, meeting his firm thrusts. He lulled his head forward, uttering labored moans as he pierced her walls roughly.

"Mm...harder..." she hissed.

A wicked smile appeared on his handsome face, amused but willing to satisfy her soft plea. He released her neck to grab hold of her waist in a bruising grip. As he hurried his thrusts, he pulled her back onto him aggressively.

Her back arched as he hit her g-spot accurately.

"Oh, yes..." she whimpered.

Her moans carried him forward, penetrating Vyperia in split force. She clenched and unclenched unpredictably. A layer of sweat perspired on her athletic core; his hands reddened her hips, but it only spurred her on.

"Don't stop...please..." she begged of him.

"Are you close?" he growled; he met her quiet moan with a rough thrust. Her quiet moan ascended to one that was of sheer, recoiled pleasure and arched her back.

"Yes...yes..." she answered him.

"Then come to me," he uttered hoarsely.

A ghost of smile appeared on her face as she heard his command upon his deep, lust-covered voice. He even felt her orgasm close, for she became increasingly tight. He closed his eyes as her walls clenched around him in a delicious purge. He felt his own climax approaching.

"Yes, Loki...Oh, don't stop..."

The desire was thick upon her voice, begging him to continue. Her hands fell to his own. Her fingernails scratched insistently along his wrists as she grabbed hold of him in an anxious waiting of her climax to come at full throttle.

Loki felt her walls tighten with spontaneity and need; he moaned her name as he came with her orgasm. She seized beneath him as if someone had taken her breath away for a split second. Her eyes rolled back in her head; the grip around his wrists was so strong that he felt her fingers bruise him. Her constriction pulled him forward into an orgasm of his own. She cried out his name in released pleasure.

When their union slowly deliberated, he lay beside her, tired but satisfied.

Vyperia panted beside him, slightly twitching from her climax.

"This..." she managed through her breaths, a smile on her face. "This was a good idea..."

Loki uttered a laugh, nodding.

"I thought so..."

"We have to get back to the castle." Vyperia said, looking up at the heavens.

"Yes," he agreed.

They slowly rose to their feet, weak but able-bodied. Quietly, they clothed themselves accordingly. Vyperia pulled her hair over her shoulder. Loki glanced at her approvingly.

"What?" she said curiously, noting his appreciative gaze.

"You look like yourself now," he told her. He gestured to her hair, which had lost its appeal to how the other Asgardian maidens had tried to alter her appearance. She blushed. "I like it."

Loki motioned her to come forward. Vyperia uttered a happy "squee" when he pulled her in and kissed her cheek sweetly.

"Come on. It's nearly time." Loki adjourned.

He and Vyperia walked through the garden and headed straight for the castle, each looking properly cheerful than before.


	3. Coronation Post-Poned

Silver and Scales

Chapter Three: Coronation Post-Poned

Vyperia and Loki appeared at the entrance of the castle, though Loki had to separate from her council in order to fit into his armor—a custom fit for a coronation. The appraisal for the day was one that would be told to children, to their children, and to their grandchildren.

A feast, a gala, was laid out for all of Asgard to enjoy, to gather at a wonderful union of a life that would begin anew under the reign of Thor. Volstagg would have cried joyful tears at the array of food stretched out from table after table—gold goblets, silver plates, and bowls upon bowls were filled heavily with Asgardian delicacies from heavy sweeties to bountiful meats and vegetables. The hungriest country of Midgard could be fed fifty times with the amount of food that was provided on the table. Decorations covered the pillars, wrapped tightly with Thor's colors: red and silver. It was beautiful, enchanting, and something to be admired.

"The hand-servants really know how to throw a party, don't they?" Vyperia uttered in vast astonishment, lavished with awe.

Loki smiled and made a small chuckle.

"I must depart," he told her, turning to her.

She looked at him.

"You may be a master sorcerer in all your arcane arts, Loki Odinson," she said smugly, noticing a small glimpse of distraction upon his handsome features, "but even I know that you are somewhat occupied. Don't tell me that you've become nervous for your brother, a true sentiment?"

"I am always sentimental," he retorted.

After a beat, she chuckled, knowing that he merely teased her with a light lie.

Loki smiled charmingly. His hand grabbed her arm and pulled her forward innocuously. Loki placed a sweet peck upon her mouth. Her cheeks turned bright pink as he kissed her in front of others, though she smiled shamelessly when he did so.

Loki winked at her and walked toward the chamber hall, heading forward the armory to dress for the occasion. Vyperia's eyes watched him as if she was in a trance.

She was smitten.

Vyperia joined Volstagg, Hogun, Fandral, and Lady Sif at a pillar that was laced with red silk. Volstagg greeted her with a hard pat on her back, almost slamming her to her feet,

"Hey, you came just in time!"

"For what? To be pounded into dust?" Vyperia retorted, rising steadily against the pillar, regaining some footing.

Volstagg chuckled.

"I see that you have returned to your pleasant self! It looked like you and Loki were going to start fighting when we left."

"It was a misunderstanding," Vyperia explained quickly.

"So mistaken," commented Fandral, amused, "that it took nearly forty-five minutes to clear the air? Secrets are amusing, my dear. I think you have quite a few in your little nest. Come, Vyperia, have a drink with us. We were just telling Volstagg about the grand feast that awaits him. Don't harp on it too much, though; he can get very cranky when he's hungry."

"Hungry? I _famished,_" Volstagg corrected him. "Look at this, Fandral! How could you not want to throw your head into some of that delicious...Well, I don't know what it is, but just look at it! It has my name on it!"

Vyperia smiled.

"It's nothing but a regularly baked apple pie, from the gardens," she remarked. "You eat that every day for a dessert, Volstagg."

"Yes," he pardoned, his eyes watching it. "But it's there now..."

Fandral handed Vyperia a mug that was filled to the brim with mead. The bubbles slowly poured over her hand, though she cared not.

"You should sing with me, Scales. You have a _marvelous_ singing voice. Come, sing with me."

"I'll join in if you start the first few bars," Volstagg planned cheerfully.

"Oh, please don't," Sif muttered, though smiling. "If I have to hear one more ode to the flowing rivers of mead, I'll throw myself on my spear willingly."

Vyperia laughed at Volstagg's look upon Sif. He mocked being hurt, for he knew that Sif was merely teasing him.

After a few more minutes of talking, gathering, and enjoying the atmosphere of a sweeping party of Asgard, the noise slowly fell—it was time. Lady Sif led Vyperia to the stairs that lay stretched to the throne of Odin, who was seated prestigious. Frigga stood on the left.

"Come, Vyperia. We must take our place," Sif told her swiftly.

Lady Sif and Vyperia stepped onto the stairs.

The crowd parted to gather in the chamber, encircling Odin's throne as the main attention. From Vyperia's view, she saw every single face alight with glad tidings: happiness and excitement clung in the air.

Her breath hitched when the doors opened and Loki, dressed in his green and gold armor—wearing his horned headpiece—strode in from the hall to walk down the straddled path. His familiar strut led him beside Vyperia, who stood between he and Lady Sif. Loki stepped ahead of Vyperia, merely inches from her. As he turned to face Odin, he winked at Vyperia with an adorable grin—her cheeks reddened and she smiled to herself, blushing.

Odin waited for his eldest to come through the hall, but the doors didn't open.

Frigga turned to Loki apprehensively.

"Where is your brother?" she asked quietly.

Loki shrugged.

"He said that he'd be along."

Vyperia heard Lady Sif scoff.

"Oh, for the love of..."

"What?" asked Vyperia.

"Ugh...he wants to make an entrance. Always wants to wield that hammer of his."

"Well, he better get in here soon," Vyperia hissed uncertainly. "The All-Father looks a tad angry."

"He'll be forgiven," Loki's voice uttered from beside her. The jealousy was evident in his tone. "He always is."

Vyperia lowered her gaze at the envy in his voice, slightly saddened.

Then the doors flung open and in came Thor, donned in his chivalrous armor; he raised his hammer above his head as a sign of strength and pride. The crowd around him cheered loudly as he strode down the path.

Before Odin, he knelt at the bottom of the staircase.

When silence fell, Odin rose to his feet and began to speak,

"Thor. Odinson...my heir..."

Vyperia's eyes closed, knowing what emotion Loki's face might have shown. His jealousy would have to be restrained at the time of his brother's appointed ceremony, but she could practically feel it radiate off him—despite how much he claimed to be glad about Thor's eventual rule.

"My first-born," Odin continued, "he who wields the hammer, Mjolnir."

His speech was carried throughout the room without having to speak loudly. Every ear and eye focused on the event, held with bated breath. Vyperia felt no one's vibration along the marble floor, as everyone stood still...

However, she felt something big, strong, and faulty quake against the soles of her heels. It was not familiar—the footsteps of an Asgardian were powerful and sure, not as these. Vyperia's eyes shifted uncertainly. Her attention was not on the ceremony anymore, but on the uncomfortable sensation against her feet.

Loki had apparently picked up the discomfort, for his hand surreptitiously reach to grab hers beside him as a minor console for what ever issue that she was facing. Her fingers gripped his, and she hoped that she was merely accompanying bundled nerves that were apprehensive for Thor's coronation.

She was that she was lying to herself, though.

"Do you swear to guard the nine realms?" Odin asked of his eldest son.

"I swear." Thor answered bravely.

"And do you swear to preserve the peace?"

"I swear."

Vyperia's nerves jangled when she felt more vibrations run through her body, more powerful. These were definitely not the footsteps of Asgardians. Loki glanced at her in mild curiosity, noting the tight grip around his hand—though, simultaneously, she seemed to go slightly pale as if through realization of a great truth.

"Do you swear," continued Odin, watching his son closely, "to throw aside your prejudice and ambition in order to do what must be done for the good of the realm?"

Thor raised his hammer in acknowledgment and cried out, with a large grin on his face,

"_I swear!"_

"Then on this day," continued Odin without so much a glimpse of pride, "I, Odin All-Father, proclaim you..."

Vyperia felt hard vibrations, and automatically knew that there something very wrong.

Coincidentally, Odin stopped speaking. He looked straight forward and uttered distinctively...

"Frost giants."

A quick recession happened.

Thor rose to his feet automatically. Odin turned on his heel without further explanation. The two of them headed for the lower chamber, where no doubt the Casket of Ancient Winters was being kept safe and hidden—or what they thought was so. Loki turned to Vyperia.

"Stay here," he advised her calmly. He covered her hand that gripped his so tightly. "I'm going to follow Thor and Father. The Frost Giants might have taken the Tesseract..."

Loki turned to leave; Vyperia pulled him back.

"Be careful, Loki..." she said.

A ghost of a smirk appeared on his face; he was touched by her sincerity, though amused at her warning. He leaned forward swiftly and kissed her cheek.

"I always am," he told her.

She watched him go.

Lady Sif and Volstagg appeared at her side.

"I guess Thor is king now, right?" said Volstagg uncertainly.

"Not yet," Vyperia pointed out lightly. "He never technically pronounced him 'king'."

After a pause, Fandral's voice said quite blankly,

"Damn, that has to burn Thor a little bit."


	4. A Bit of Fun

Silver and Scales

Chapter Four: A Bit of Fun

It was a little past mid-afternoon.

The feast, the gala, the entire montage that was suppose to take place had been canceled; and only a few people understood why. Vyperia, having been given no explanation as of late, awaited in the empty chamber hall where once all of Asgard had anticipated the new king. Instead, it was a silent barrier. The food upon the endless row of tables was untouched, candles still lit; ribbon, silk, and silver décor icicles still hung from the ceiling and clung to the golden pillars. It was a party that had been mildly interrupted.

All that Vyperia knew was that a few Jotuns had managed to find a way into the palace—into Asgard—unseen, untapped, hidden from view. It was a rare thing to happen. Heimdall, the gatekeeper, was a guardian of all realms; he could see trouble before it happened. It passed his sights so easily.

Vyperia's body twitched when she felt the familiar padding of light footsteps behind her. She turned to see Loki; he was only a few feet behind her, and he had gotten as close to her undetected. Loki had abandoned his regal wear, drawn back into his casual clothes, save for a green cloak that wrapped around his collarbone.

Her face eased in relief to see that no harm had come to him.

"You're all right," she breathed.

The hitch in her chest that she had been holding for a while let go. She kissed him briefly on his lips, immense gratification evident in her greeting. Loki's hand passed the apple of her right cheek, an evident indication of mutual relief. A smile broke on his lips when she pulled away.

"What happened?" she asked.

"Frost giants managed to breach through security," he reported, unconcerned, despite the severity of the news. "They assaulted two of our guards and tried to grab the Casket of Ancient Winters."

"'Tried'?"

"The Destroyer killed them before they stood a chance. The guards were killed before it stepped in. It's sad, but what's done is done."

"If everything is all right, why did your father cancel the gala?" asked Vyperia curiously.

"You know my brother," retorted Loki, to which Vyperia was already knowingly nodding. "He always wants to have an answer; unfortunately, the All-Father and Thor argued, and he's...well, he's not in the greatest of moods."

Vyperia observed him...carefully.

"You...You don't seem too concerned about the Frost Giants breaking into the armory."

"Three came through and died. Technically, nothing happened."

"Loki," Vyperia chuckled, though amusement was absent, "they broke the truce with Asgard."

"That's what Thor said, but Father believes that they were strays who were 'doomed to fail'. Father doubts that Thor will be ready to govern Asgard if he reacts in a manner of a warrior, not a king. It makes sense; but if I know my brother—_and I do_—he'll try to break ground."

"Maybe," she suggested lightly, "it might be prudent to go to him."

"Because Thor is a temperamental barbarian? He's supposed to be king."

"He's a child who likes to hit people and ask questions later." Vyperia reworded firmly, though without any offense. "You and I know that he's a brute. His brawn over brain is his fatal flaw. Asgard needs guidance from a king," she continued, "not vengeance from a warrior."

Loki looked at her in consideration.

She blinked once.

A slow smile etched across his face.

"Vyperia, would you like to know something?"

"Always."

"It's a sensitive matter."

"Oh, a secret," she assumed easily.

"Actually, it's a little bit more than that."

Interest replaced her coy expression. When he said nothing further, she cocked her head to the side. Her curiosity was peaked, and now she simply had to know what he was thinking. They said nothing for a moment, as if he was making certain that she could be trusted with such a thing.

"Tell me." Vyperia instructed, gesturing for the information to come forth with her hand.

A mischievous smirk appeared on his face. He leaned forward and his voice sent shivers down her spine,

"I did it."

She chuckled, believing that she misunderstood him. She pulled back to look at him, as if he had told an amusing joke. While Loki still beheld that mischievous smile, he didn't break into laughter like she had expected. Vyperia's eyes manifested from light cheerfulness to one that hardened to seriousness.

"You let them in?" she whispered softly. "Why?"

"Why shouldn't I have? It's just a little fun," he passed her judgment dismissively.

"Darling, I know that you like mischief, but this—"

Loki shook her head, passing off her warning as light prattle. He stopped her by grabbing both her hands in his, not worried that she would run to tell somebody...if anyone would believe her. Not that she would tell anyone. Vyperia's warning trailed off when she noticed the confidence in his face as he turned to her, smirking.

"Three of them go into Asgard with full intentions of bringing back their stolen relic—of course they would have failed. It's a guarded prison. The Tesseract is safe; it's heavily guarded...especially now since the All-Father has seen them come in."

"And your secret is safe with me," Vyperia promised, "but how are you supposed to keep this hidden from Heimdall?"

"I think that you underestimate me," said Loki confidently. "Heimdall hasn't been listening to our conversations for a _while_ now, Vyperia." He released her hands to indicate the establishment that surrounded them. "I have blocked off his sight around us. That's not the only magic trick, Darling. These people are under the impression that our walls were breached; and that no one in the country is a traitor. Life's greatest illusion, Vyperia!"

She stared at him, puzzled but awe-struck.

"Innocence," he said, smiling, "is life's greatest illusion; and I don't have to cast it."

"It would have been better for me if you told me that you had planned it," said Vyperia. "It had me worried that we all were in imminent danger."

"If we were," Loki explained, "I would have told you to come with me rather than to wait."

"Why?" Vyperia snorted, entertained by his smooth line. "Because that is what our friendship is built upon: danger running its course?"

"I say we make an excellent team, wouldn't you?" he replied casually. "Well, wouldn't you?"

"Loki, you little shit..." she dismissed him, pushing him in the shoulder playfully; she stepped away from him, shaking her head.

He strode forward and grabbed her hand.

"I _do_ have to talk to Thor, though," he continued lazily.

As he took her hand, he pulled her to him and embraced her around the waist. His fingers clung to her blue robes significantly; his other hand wound around her fingers. She grinned as he swayed.

He was dancing with her in the middle of the ballroom. She cupped the back of his neck with the palm of her free hand, meeting his eyes enthusiastically.

"You know, you can be a real romantic when you want to," she told him.

He uttered a soft chuckle as he pulled her across the dance floor. There was no music in the hall, though they twirled and swayed to what might have been a beautiful love opera; long strides, intimate circling, and sweeping moments muted the regal couple as Loki drew her into his circle—he had no reason to continue his seduction on his old friend. However, Loki—while mischief, cunning, and a bit conniving in his own right—endured a personality trait of chivalry: always the gentleman in these generous situations. He would cast aside his arrogance for the time being to look upon the shining face of Vyperia and know that despite his growing jealousy of Thor, her loyalty was to him—no matter who sat upon the throne of Asgard.

Vyperia followed the slow twirl: she turned in front of him; his arms crossed in front of her, Vyperia's back to his chest. It was romantic, by far the most romantic thing that he had done in the last thousand years. While she always craved the danger that he could unleash upon the world—one instance being the fact that he had allowed Frost Giants to enter Asgard—she enjoyed the smallest of sweet nothings that he did. He would never come out and say "I love you", but his honeyed words and actions made certain that he never would have to say it.

In Midgard, "I love you" was wasted on those who used it for savage purposes: trafficking, meaningless rendezvous in the back seats of their cars...it was disgusting. Here upon Asgard, it was something more than beautiful.

Vyperia smiled and leaned the back of her head against his chest, eyes closed. Loki sighed softly against the meeting of her neck and collarbone, a sweet spot for his lips to lightly touch.

His voice was upon her ear, deep like rolling thunder from his lips.

"You know that there is nothing that I wouldn't do for you. Do you know that?"

"Yes." Vyperia answered.

"Your heart belongs to me."

"Heart and body," she reinforced gently.

"Your loyalty as well..."

"Always," she said.

His voice caressed her mind as he spoke. He had a strong affect on her. Even if his hands would not touch her—if they hadn't been dancing so intimately—his deep voice against the shell of her ear had the equal arousal effect as his touch did upon her body.

He made love to her mind with his silver tongue.

It was obvious in his smirk that he knew of this little detail.

"You would stay by my side."

"I would never leave."

"If I should leave Asgard," he said carefully, "would you search for me?"

"Endlessly," answered Vyperia quietly.

He already knew her answers. He wanted her to hear them. He didn't need to know that she was his. He knew that her loyalty could never be undone. Rather, he enjoyed the sound of her voice as she pledged her allegiance to him as a servant would to a master. In their own right, that was what she was to him; and she had no objections.

His hands interlocked with hers, both of which had gone slightly limp from hearing his dulcet tones so close to her ear.

"Who taught you to dance, Loki?" asked Vyperia, numbingly lost in the moment.

"My mother did," answered Loki softly. "While Father precariously instructed my brother in the ways of war, Mother thought it was more prudent to learn how to become a gentleman than to pick up brute strength."

"She's a wise woman."

"Yes," Loki said with a smile. "She is."

Vyperia grinned to herself. She admired the way he spoke about Frigga.

"Do you remember," said Loki casually, "the first time that you and I first developed from friends to what we are now?"

"Remember, my dear prince? How could I forget?" Vyperia replied incredulously. "It's nothing like the Warriors Three put it. Falling in love over a battlefield..."

"That much is true for you, isn't it?"

Vyperia uttered a bashful chuckle.

"It's embarrassing to admit that the reason why I ever wanted a romantic relationship with was because—"

"Embarrassing? There's nothing to be shameful about it."

Vyperia opened her eyes to turn her head to look upon him.

"I have to deny everything that you say from this point on."

She walked out of his circle, laughing uncomfortably. Loki's smirk remained planted on his face as she stepped away from him.

"Oh, admit it, Darling. Even Thor could tell that it struck you like lightning. The skirmish in Nornheim...the clamor of battle. To you, it was practically intoxicating!" Loki walked after her.

She wasn't offended by the topic. Vyperia was yet bashful at admitting that blood lust was the first time that she had ever felt a spark for the youngest prince of Asgard. The evidence was clear on her crimson-red face when she turned to face him, a weak smile upon her flushed cheeks.

"It's a terrible thing to tell the children," she chuckled, mortified.

Loki approached her slowly.

"I remember," he laughed handsomely, "that you were nearly dead upon the battlefield, scorched, bleeding, nearly paralyzed. And just when you were about to be attacked, I saved your life."

"You bludgeoned the man alive, dear." Vyperia clarified.

"Ah, yes," he pointed at her deviously, "but if I recall, it was _you_ who liked it."

"Blood lust is a different form of—" she said defensively, but he shook his head, forestalling her.

"A form of what, Vyperia? In Nornheim, it was very evident that if I hadn't saved your life, you would have been split in half. It was a beautiful sight to see. You like power, unlimited power."

He stood directly in front of her, towering over her. Her eyes glanced up into his face.

"You caught a glimpse of it for a few seconds," he told her, his voice dripping with apparent seduction. "Then it was all that was ever on your mind. Then you looked at me from across the battlefield with the same look that you're gazing at me right now...glazed and overpowered."

She smiled at him, recognizing the racing beats in her chest as he stood ever so close, describing to her what had taken place on that day. He was right about it all.

"Real power," said Loki lightly, "is what I have. It is what I am."

He raised her hand to underside of her chin. Her hands were limp at her side, going numb. Vyperia was heavily stimulated by his presence, lost in his words. She held a lucid smile upon her face of a love-sick fan girl whose favorite celebrity stood in front of her, complimenting her and lavishing her with his attention.

It was absolutely intoxicating.

Loki's lips met hers with the faintest of his touch. He beckoned a very light, but ever audible moan from her mouth. When he pulled away, she smiled at him.

"And I like it," she remarked, smirking. "So...just a bit of fun?"

"And I like it," he answered.


	5. Madness

Silver and Scales

Chapter Five: Madness

The sun was ready to set upon Asgard when Thor entered the feast hall, enraged. What had transpired between he and Odin All-Father had set his temper ablaze. Vyperia and Loki had disappeared from the hall by the time that the god of thunder stormed through the empty silence. His fury bottled and boiled in his blood; and after several minutes of trying to contain it, Thor took the underside of the table in a death grip—

With a powerful, furious cry of frustration, Thor upturned the entire table; from each corner flew every dish that had been perfectly organized by the hand-maidens of the palace. Silver goblets spat out glistening, bubbling wine; plates shattered under the weight and velocity of the upturned foundation; and the legs of the entire table flew up simultaneously by the power of Thor's strength. Thor's face reddened, a contemptuous rage filling the finest features of his beautiful cheeks as he thundered in his frustration of the foolish idling of his father.

This had been act of war, the Jotuns entering Asgard to steal back what had been theirs. Ill-rightfully theirs. With the Casket of Ancient Winters, they could unleash a whole new ice age as they had done upon Midgard when the world was made by their ancestors. Balance was a necessity; and they had broken the balance by intruding upon a safe barrier of Thor's people and the agreement that had been forged between Laufey and Odin. While Odin had calmly dismissed the matter—as the trouble had been contained and there were minor casualties—Thor reveled, still, in his belief that Laufey had intentionally destroyed the truce between the two realms. While Odin believed that the three Frost Giants had been acting on their own accord—mere rebels who had been terminated at the climax of their plight—Thor disagreed.

Thor panted in unimaginable frustration. With all his strength, he could do nothing but destroy materialistic things, seeing his father's face on each glass and plate.

Unable to do much more than to upturn the establishment, Thor relinquished his battle upon the materialistic field to sit down upon the stairs behind him. He didn't calm down. His entire being shook with anger.

As the room fell quiet with only his breath heavy in the air, light footsteps approached him from behind. Although they were quiet foot falls, Thor sensed the body striding calmly behind him; and he looked up to see who exactly was attempting to comfort him through his raw temper tantrum.

His blue eyes fell upon the quiet contemplation gaze of his brother, Loki, who said not a word as he quietly sat down beside Thor on the stairs. Thor's teeth clenched. His anger was not to be trifled with, though he believed that his brother would somehow poke and prod at his rage—as was Loki's habitual custom.

However, when Loki said nothing, Thor uttered a shaking breath.

"It is unwise," said Thor in a low but rattled voice, "to be in my company right now, brother."

"Who said that I was ever wise?" Loki returned calmly.

Thor glanced at him through the corners of his vision.

"This," Thor sighed, indicating the empty hall with loss, "was to be my day of triumph."

Loki nodded.

"It will come...in time."

Thor looked up to see Vyperia rounding the corner of the entrance, appearing slightly dismayed as she saw the result of Thor's temper tantrum. She side-stepped the fallen plates and shattered goblets. While she had been robed in an attire of a goddess, she now had taken a more persona that was closer to her personality: she was dressed in a green and white warrior's uniform. Loki swiftly examined her appearance as a Midgardian would look upon his wife after she dressed down from a beautiful evening gown to a comfortable pair of slacks and relaxed blouse: beautiful but more down to earth.

Behind her back, she had donned her weapon of choice: A bow and a quiver of arrows—arrows, Loki assumed—that were tipped with the poison from her tongue.

Vyperia merely nodded at Loki and Thor quietly, desiring to not interrupt their moment. She made a gesture of one who would not intervene in their discussion but to walk through the trashed hall only to accompany them.

Loki turned to Thor.

"If it is any consolation," he admitted, "I think that you're right: about the Frost Giants, about Laufey...about everything. If a few of them could penetrate the defenses of Asgard once, who is to say that they won't try again—next time with an army?"

"Yes, exactly!" Thor boomed in eager agreement.

"There is nothing that you can do, Thor," Loki said adamantly, "without defying Father."

Thor considered his brother's words. He glanced at the hammer in his hands, a familiar gleam in his eye. Loki's face descended from mere comfort to one of concern. He shook his head.

"No. No," Loki uttered. "No, no, no, no, no, stop there. I know that look!"

Thor rose to his feet.

"It's the only way to ensure the safety of our borders."

"Thor, it's madness."

Vyperia straightened and turned to look behind her where the Warriors Three had appeared. At some point while Vyperia was focused on Thor and Loki's conversation, Volstagg, Hogun, Fandral, and Lady Sif had entered the feast hall—they all shared the same look of surprise as they gazed at the tormented feast table that lay crumpled on the floor.

Vyperia, knowing Thor's lack of intuition, had already picked up what Thor wanted to do; and this time, it was not a whimsical skirmish in a settled land or a hilarious rescue mission on Midgard. What Thor was planning was something else entirely—no better than what the Jotuns had done a few hours ago.

"It will be folly, Thor," advised Vyperia quietly.

Thor looked at her, as if she had spoken out of place.

"You have an odd rank to tell me what is foolish," said Thor, though his voice was not offensive. It was one, however, that provoked a slight curiosity to appear on Loki's face as his brother stepped toward the goddess of guardianship. While he towered over her, Vyperia's eyes remained stoic, unafraid of Thor's intention to intimidate her.

"Your actions could be considered high-risk themselves," Thor told her plainly.

"I defend them upon reason that I had no intention of bombarding through a realm with the intentions of starting a war, Thor—and that is what you're wanting to do, is it not?"

"Not war," Thor told her strongly. "I want to know why they came to Asgard."

"The only reason why they would enter the chamber was to retrieve what was stolen from them a thousand years ago," Vyperia replied.

The Warriors Three exchanged uncertain glances. It was in Vyperia's force of habit to get rather defensive when someone approached her in close vicinity. She didn't like to be cornered, especially by someone whose strength outmatched her own.

"It is their birth right," Vyperia said calmly. "It is their relic, their piece of history—that the All-Father took from them."

"To say such a thing is treason."

Loki's voice came from the stairs, directly toward Vyperia. She was suddenly stifled by the serious accusation in his voice. She looked at Loki as if he had insulted her. The calm strength in Loki's features silenced her.

What she had said, although accurate, had come out as to say that Odin was wrong to guard the Casket of Ancient Winters—not out of an act of spite toward the Jotuns—but to keep the nine realms safe from another dictator like Laufey had been. He had intended to kill all mortals in Midgard by freezing them in another Jotunheim. While Odin's reasons were somewhat vague to the lot of them, it was undeniable to know that the All-Father cared for his country and its citizens. And to say that Odin was a mere thief and had plunged the Frost Giants into a reasoned fury to attack Asgard was wrong. It was blunt treachery, and Loki did not like what Vyperia was indicating.

Vyperia waved a hand, indicating her silence in the conversation. She didn't intend to agree with Loki; but she wasn't going to directly defy the prince of Asgard.

Loki, however, slowly rose to his feet to confront the intentions of his brother.

"While she assumes that Father is wrong in his decision," he said calmly, "what Vyperia is saying is true. This is _mad._"

Volstagg, who had become reprimanded by the destruction of the ample amount of food left to rot on the floor, had begun to prepare himself a hearty meal made from, what it looked like, a vast array of cheeses topped with almost every meat known to Midgard.

"Madness..." Volstagg pondered with simple curiosity. "Thor, what _exactly_ do you want to do?"

"Nothing," Loki answered for his brother swiftly, intending to wipe the idea completely. "Thor was making a jest."

"It is no jest, brother," Thor retorted. "We're going to Jotunheim."

The Warriors Three were caught up to speed; and now they knew the strength of the conversation between Vyperia and Thor. Their reactions were less hostile and indignant than Vyperia, but beheld the same incredibility of the impending danger that would follow Thor's plan.

"What?" Fandral gasped, his mouth agape.

"Thor," warned Sif strongly, "of all the laws of Asgard, this is one that you must not break."

Loki looked on, intrigued by the proceedings. He sat quiet upon the stairs. His glance toward Vyperia was surreptitious, one of mild observation. She held his gaze for a minute before turning from him with resignation. It was easy to understand that look: she had accepted him dutifully; but in her mind, she claimed him to be disloyal for not backing her up on the matter.

Thor's gaze didn't smolder at his friends when they expressed their surprise. He merely smiled in sour amusement. Fandral approached the god of thunder; his armor made small metal-on-metal _chink_ sounds as he walked up to his friend.

"This isn't like a journey to Earth where you summon a little lightning and thunder and the mortals worship you like a god. This is Jotunheim."

"And," Volstagg added while creating the masterpiece of a sandwich of the gods, "if the Frost Giants don't kill you, your father will."

"My father," Thor said, "fought his way into Jotunheim, defeated their armies, and took their casket! We'd just be looking for answers."

Vyperia shook her head in silent incredibility. Thor's expression hardened when he heard the familiar scathing noise emit from her mouth as she walked away from him to sit down beside Loki. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

Thor ignored her and turned to Lady Sif, who nodded her head in agreement to Volstagg's argument.

"It is _forbidden._" Thor sized up his friends and smiled.

He proceeded to make his argument valid with the hopes that his case was far more credentialed with friendship and charismatic conviction.

"My friends," he told them all, "have you forgotten all that we've done together?"

He turned to Fandral.

"Who brought you into the sweet embrace of the most exotic maidens in all of Yggdrasil?"

"You did," Fandral admitted.

To Hogun, he continued,

"And who led you into the most _glorious_ of battles?" He turned to Volstagg. "And to delicacies so succulent, you thought that you had died and gone to Valhalla?"

In quiet, though understanding resolution, Volstagg and Hogun answered with broad smiles,

"You did..."

He turned to Sif, the second-to-last warrior to persuade in his attempt to go forward with his plan.

"And who proved wrong all who scoffed at the idea that a young maiden could be one of the fiercest warriors this Realm has ever known?"

"_I_ did," Sif retorted.

"Yes," said Thor quickly, amused, "but I supported you, Sif."

He turned to the rest of them.

"My friends, trust me now. We _must_ do this."

The Warriors Three exchanged concerned looks.

While he had brought up valid points of his past reasoning, they still felt small tidings of worry. There was no convincing him otherwise.

"Come on," he said in further words. "You're not going to let my brother and me take all the glory, are you?"

Loki looked startled,

"_What?"_

Vyperia glanced at him, dismayed.

"You are coming with me..." Thor said quietly, in a voice that silently bargained for such a privilege.

Loki passed a hand over his face, quietly regretting the answer that would surely follow. Considering the brotherly bond in their friendship, Loki resigned.

"Yes, of course," Loki said, waving a hand to Thor. "I won't let my brother march into Jotunheim alone. I will be at his side."

"And I," Volstagg said proudly with a raised his fist.

"And I," Fandral chorused.

"And I," Hogun followed the song.

"The Warriors Three fight together."

Vyperia scoffed,

"And _I_ think that you all have gone absolutely mad," she stated abruptly, rising to her feet.

Loki's eyes followed her as she stepped away from him. Thor looked at her, though not at all shocked at this revelation. Thor glanced at Loki in distilled inclination. Loki made a small nod and rose to his feet. Vyperia had only made it from the small band of friends within two feet before Loki grabbed her wrist and pulled her back—she uttered a surprised gasp when she halted mid-step only to fly back against Loki's chest.

Regaining her balance, Vyperia looked at him incredulously. While she sounded distinctly upset, she was well out of ear shot from the others.

"Have you lost your senses completely?" she hissed at him.

"My brother seeks answers. I would grant him that. He isn't going alone. He'll die there."

"And," she remarked, pushing him away with little force, "what makes you think that you won't? The Frost Giants do not easily bend to the will of negotiation. They are humanoids, like the mortals, and they are stronger—more fierce barbarians that I have ever seen in my life..._and that's a lot to see."_

Loki smiled at her.

"No," Vyperia declined, noticing his initial expression. "No, no. That isn't going to work with me this time. No..."

"Vyperia, do you trust me?" asked Loki seriously, though his smile was stimulated by honest delight.

"With my life," she answered without hesitation.

"If it should get too chaotic in Jotunheim, we will turn around and leave," Loki explained gently.

"They are brutes, but they _have_ made a truce with Asgard. This is diplomacy. Their king will understand."

Vyperia sighed.

"We will surely regret this day," she muttered.

"If we get out alive," Loki added.

Her shocked expression made Loki laugh quietly.

"Sorry. That was meant to be a joke," he said, though still smirking.

"Fine..." Vyperia muttered. Loki led her back to the group by her hand.

"Damn you...and damn your smile."

Thor smiled at his conjured task force.

"We're going to Jotunheim."


	6. Jotunheim

Silver and Scales

Chapter Six: Jotunheim

While Thor escorted his faithful friends out onto the palace grounds, Vyperia wore a look of serious skepticism on the brink of her beautiful face. It was obvious that while she declared her life to her Asgardian prince, Loki, she wasn't ready to lay down her life for a god whose temper subsided all thought or reason. Vyperia's strut was one of restrained regret and flaring temper. She was not happy that she conceded to Loki's persuasion, though she shared a minor sense of gratitude. She was touched that Loki had stepped in at all to persuade her to come with him. Vyperia had consented under the pretense that he wanted her to be there beside him in the clamor of things, if battle should ensue. Vyperia's green eyes observed Thor's walk of purpose.

Battle was what was going to follow if he continued to put an air of an arrogant prince searching for trouble to prove himself a brave king. This was not the attributes that Asgard needed in a ruler.

Vyperia did not think that Thor was a suitable candidate for the throne.

"A little further," Thor muttered as they strode through the grounds.

They came before a group of attendants who readied their battle gear for their journey. Vyperia exchanged hands with her fellow guard, a slighted gentleman with the strength of a fox but the complexity of a contemplative hawk. He was an arrow smith, a Fletcher that she had hired personally for this sort of adventure. He said nothing to her as he stocked her quiver with several pointed arrows. The sun that hovered above glinted off the sharp points, much to Vyperia's satisfaction.

"You grow restless," observed the guard who finally uttered a greeting as he worked.

"Is it that obvious?" she asked gently.

"It's apparent on your face, my lady," he answered respectfully.

He offered a hand to her, to which she placed her bow wordlessly. He checked the notch, the spine, and the strength of the bow string. The guard surveyed her weapon extensively.

"It looks to be in excellent shape, far better than others that I have seen in the last week," he said through his examination. "Though, I might advise you to take up another form of combat. Your archery skills are renown in Asgard, my lady; but the wars that you will see...you will find yourself in a less than formidable situation if you should get cornered by more enemies than you can usually handle."

His prospect was said with candor. He was skilled in his profession, and he gave her a professional's opinion.

"That's a quirk about me, my dear Fletcher," said Vyperia confidently. She withdrew her bow and quiver from his proffered hands. "I don't get cornered."

"Yes, my lady," he obliged, bowing his head.

Vyperia glanced behind her. Loki slipped away from the group to speak to a nearby guard. Hogun noticed and met her eyes.

"We must first find a way to get past Heimdall," Thor said readily.

Vyperia's scorn was audible in her voice.

"I can really tell that you thought this through."

"I have had enough of your cheek," Thor turned to her. "Loki is my brother, and he may get away with his heavy sarcasm, but you need to learn your place."

Again, she wasn't intimidated. She passed off his statement as mere frustration. Vyperia sheathed her bow along the back of her spine. Her quiver strung lazily along her waist, each spindly weapon safely cradled in its womb.

Volstagg glanced at her wearily, though he recognized Vyperia's insolence for scolding of Thor's impulsive pretense.

"That will be no easy task," he said uneasily. "It's said that the Gatekeeper can see a single dew drop fall from a blade of grass from a thousand worlds away."

"And he can hear a cricket passing gas in Nifleheim," smacked Fandral cheerfully.

"Jest not!" Volstagg warned. "He heareth all!"

"Please," Fandral sighed. "Getting past him should be simple enough now, since he seems to be letting Frost Giants sneak by under his nose."

Volstagg, terrified, called out to the sky—it surprised Vyperia so much that she jumped when his boisterous voice pleaded to the endless heavens in a loud outcry,

"_Forgive him! He meaneth no offense!"_

Loki appeared by Vyperia's side wordlessly as Thor led them onward.

Thor and his band of adventurers passed through the massive gates on horseback. They left Asgard behind. They rode along the astounding path in this Realm or any other. They came upon the Rainbow Bridge. It was wide and flat, and it ran straight out of Odin's palace to the mists and black void of space beyond. In the distance far ahead, the Bridge continued on until it reached Heimdall's Observatory, where all things that were mysterious and enigmatic were mere answers.

The band drew near the Observatory where Heimdall—Gatekeeper of Asgard—stood at his post on the Bridge before them, blocking their way, staring them down. Bright yellow eyes watched them from behind an other-worldly gaze. His stern intimidating face watched them from behind golden, helmeted armor. Loki was the first to speak as he dismounted his horse.

"Keep your weapons sheathed and your mouths closed," said Loki to the latter. "This is going to take subtlety and sincerity, not brute strength. Leave it to me."

Loki approached the guard and smiled as he had done to charm Vyperia into coming with him.

"Good Heimdall—"

"You're not dressed warmly enough," he interrupted.

Vyperia's eyes narrowed, briefly taken aback by Heimdall's statement.

"I'm sorry?" Loki remarked, also surprised.

"The freezing cold of Jotunheim," replied Heimdall clearly. "It will kill you all in time, even Thor. Do you think that you can deceive me, Silver Tongue?" he asked of Loki, whose look of surprise smoldered. "I, who can sense the flapping of a butterfly's wings a thousand worlds away?"

Heimdall's eyes pointed toward Fandral.

"Or can hear a cricket passing gas in Nifleheim?"

Fandral gulped.

"That was just a bit of a jest, really."

Loki stepped in for damage control.

"You must be mistaken. We're not—"

"_Enough!"_ Thor's voice boomed.

The Warriors Three, the god of thunder, and Vyperia dismounted their horses. Vyperia came to stand beside Loki.

"Heimdall," Thor said, his voice dripping with stern order, "may we pass?"

Heimdall stared him down. Thor's intimidating prowess didn't phase the gatekeeper.

"For ages have I guarded Asgard and kept it safe from those who would do it harm. In all that time, never has an enemy slipped my watch—until this day. I wish to know how that happened."

"Then tell no one where we've gone until we've returned."

Thor pushed pass Heimdall. The Gatekeeper allowed the group to pass. Volstagg strode beside a frustrated Loki, and needled him in the arm,

"What happened? Your silver tongue turned to lead?"

"Get me off this bridge before it cracks under your girth," Loki retorted, following Volstagg and Fandral.

While Thor and the others entered the Observatory, Heimdall's gaze fell upon Vyperia momentarily. The light in his eyes was a familiar flicker that Vyperia had seen in many others. That initial distrust, the suspicion of silent treachery. She had grown accustomed to noticing that glint in everyone who laid eyes upon she whose powers were devoted to a snake. Vyperia stepped away from him to stand beside Loki, who glanced at her serenely.

"Be warned," Heimdall said, "I will honor my sworn oath to protect this Realm as its Gatekeeper. "Should your return threaten the safety of Asgard, the Bifrost will remain closed to you. You'll be left to die in the cold wastes of Jotunheim."

Thor's arrogance was slick in his voice.

"I have no plans to die today."

Heimdall's voice replied apathetically,

"None do."

Heimdall inserted his sword into the control panel, and the apparatus of the Observatory started up. The Bifrost energy quickened along the Bridge, fed into the Observatory like a hungry child. Heimdall turned his sword in the control panel. The Observatory's giant turret swung around, aimed toward a section of space; and the great turret fired. A rainbow light of Bifrost energy blasted out of it.

Thor and his comrades stood upon the end of the platform

"All is ready," Heimdall reported. "You may pass."

"Could you just leave the bridge open for us?" said Volstagg light-heartedly, though it was clear that his nerves were tingling.

"To keep this bridge open would unleash the full power of the Bifrost and destroy Jotunheim with you upon it," Heimdall elaborated in a dull voice.

"Ah," Volstagg relinquished weakly. "Never mind, then."

Thor started toward the Bifrost, then turned back to grin at the others. Vyperia's hand reached for Loki's nervously. Loki glanced down between them as he felt her contact.

Her knuckles were white.

"Come on," Thor said gallantly. "Don't be bashful."

Loki held onto Vyperia and led her forward to the Bifrost where he joined his brother at his side. Their bodies stretched toward the maelstrom, changing shape, as if every atom of their being was elongated by the pull of nuclear gravity. In an instant, they were jerked forward off the platform and inside the vortex.

A hole ripped open through the sky and the Bifrost shot out of it. Snow flurried up into the cold wintery atmosphere as Thor's band touched down onto the runes of the Jotunheim. Vyperia's skin shivered roughly as she rose to her feet. While it was blustery winter, her body reacted to instantaneous dread. She had felt something that she hadn't felt in a while.

_Fear._

Thor and the others turned to stare out in horror and wonder at the frozen alien wasteland before them. The whole planet was a massive flattened ring of jagged ice, slowly breaking apart. Huge chunks of ice calved away from its outer edges and floated off into the empty space above them. The planet's icy surface cracked and melted. It was the ruins of a Jotun city.

Vyperia's fear simmered to one of opinionated anger.

"No wonder why they wanted the Casket of Ancient Winters," she said. The breath on her voice could been seen by those around her. The anger that was upon her tone slowly quaked. Loki and Thor exchanged glances as she, the goddess of guardianship—of all bodies that were abandoned, scorned, alive or dead—peered at the planet that was slowly falling apart.

"Look at what is happening to their home..." Vyperia lamented.

Thor's expression was one of honest disbelief. What he heard in her tone was compassion for such people who would have torn apart Asgard without a second's thought.

"We shouldn't be here," Hogun the Grim said breathlessly, his gaze a cold stare ahead.

"Too late now," Thor dismissed.

"Actually," Fandral, the light-hearted of the pack, said quietly, "it's not. We could turn right around, hop back to Asgard, share a mug by the fire...Could be nice."

Thor ignored him and started forward. Loki looked around the barren wasteland, almost as anxious as Vyperia.

"Perhaps we should wait."

"For what?" demanded Thor.

"To survey the enemy," answered Loki. "To gauge their strengths and weaknesses from a distance."

Volstagg nodded,

"I'm liking that. Your brother is full of good ideas. Gauging, surveying. Particularly the distance part."

"We know all we must." Thor said. "It is time to act."

Vyperia uttered a hiss of pure annoyance. She strode in front of Thor to stop him from walking any further.

"Have you any brains at all, Thor?" she snapped at him, stopping him with a hand on his chest. "This is not some easy battlefield. You don't have home-field advantage. Are you willing to put your friends in danger so that you may have a chance at glory?"

"I do not want to shove you out of my way..." Thor told her in a deep voice.

"You are fighting a race that is stronger than you are," Vyperia said venomously. "These people—"

"They are monsters," Thor reacted.

"You are so uncultured," Vyperia said tactlessly. "The whole world must do what you say, Thor? Is that it? It is a dangerous task!"

"Silence!" Thor commanded of her.

His booming voice filled her ears.

"While you idly argue with me," Thor told her irritably, "you risk the chance of the Jotuns breaking into Asgard once more. How would you like _that_ on your head?"

"I'm not the one whose voice carries throughout the solar system, _Your Highness_," Vyperia argued. "Listen to your brother. Listen to your companions. They know that this is a highly dangerous situation—and you're willing to throw all of that out because you want to storm in like a hero and face Laufey yourself?"

"I do what I please," Thor told her.

"_Obviously_," Vyperia returned waspishly.

Loki stepped forward and grabbed her by the hand, pulling aside.

"We won't have any traction here if you and Thor continue to argue," Loki said calmly.

Though she wanted to press the point further, Vyperia consented to Loki's gentle argument.

The group trudged behind Thor across the frozen wasteland, shielding themselves from the howling wing and cold. Loki looked around them, still, anxious. Volstagg shivered. Thor, invigorated, turned back to his comrades.

"It feels good, doesn't it? To be together again, adventuring on another world? We have Sif's smart comments, Fandral's happy-go-lucky strife, Volstagg's amusing one-liners." He glanced at Vyperia, all bitterness from his voice. "And we even have Vyperia, arguing with me like usual."

Vyperia gave him a moronic smile, one that was sweet but obviously didn't deny the source of their relationship.

"Adventuring?" Fandral said nervously. "Is that what we're doing?"

"What would you call it?"

"Freezing."

"Starving," Volstagg added.

"Whining," Sif stated.

"How about a song to lift out spirits?" Thor volunteered brightly.

The others groaned.

"No!" Hogun said loudly. "Not that!"

"Please don't make us sing again," Lady Sif begged.

"If I have to listen to Volstagg's singing voice one more time," Fandral elaborated, "I'll fall on my sword."

"Well," Sif smirked, "now I'm on board."

She and Thor shared a grin.

The party reached the edge of the city—its ancient structures of jade and ice melting and crumbling, ravaged by warfare long ago. The temple lay before them across a central plaza.

"Where are they?" Sif's voice inquired, alert.

"Hiding," answered Thor. "As cowards always do."

Thor led them onwards toward the central plaza. Loki reluctantly followed, his hand interlocked in Vyperia's nervous grasp.

She held her breath when she felt the deep footsteps of a figure moving not too far from her. Loki heard her inhale sharply. She stopped walking almost instantly, stunned by a phenomenon that haunted her body.

"I..." she hissed under her breath, frozen on the spot.

Vibrations carried under her feet, as if thunder rolled underneath the ground.

"Vyperia..." Loki inquired her quietly.

Fear hitched in her voice.

"I can feel them," she uttered fearfully.

Loki glanced down at her feet, of which he knew could sense the vibrations of enemies closing in. His light-colored eyes searched the shadows of the structures around them. Surely enough, Loki could see large shadows hidden in the crevices of the temple before him. The group witnessed the stillness of the band's mischievous couple. Thor looked at his brother, whom exchanged knowing glances.

As the party reached the plaza, they all could sense that the Frost Giants slowly surrounded them from all sides. The vibrations in the ground thundered and rolled beneath Vyperia's feet as she walked beside Loki. Even through the biting cold of Jotunheim, Loki felt her hand slowly become slick with perspiration.

As the Jotuns surrounded them, the Asgardians reached for their weapons.

"What," called out the Jotun sentry, "is your business here, Asgardians?"

The Jotun's voice was like cracking ice.

"I speak only to your king!" Thor called to him. "Not to your foot soldiers!"

"Then speak."

Laufey, the Jotun King, sat veiled in shadow. He was ancient, noble, and powerful—too proud to reveal even a hint of the years of suffering that he and his people endured. Upon seeing his face, Vyperia felt a faint pang of compassion. This Giant, this infinite creature that haunted the shadows of Jotunheim, was Loki's true father...and Vyperia looked upon him with only slight regret at ever knowing the truth about Loki.

It made it very difficult for her to want to see the king lie in a state of defeat.

"I am Laufey," the Jotun ruler proclaimed, "King of this Realm."

"And I am—"

"We know who you are, Odinson." Laufey interrupted. "Why have you brought the stench of your blood into my world?"

"I demand answers."

Laufey slowly rose to his feet, sizing up Thor's small stature compared to the height of the Jotuns. Even as he stood, Vyperia felt especially tiny compared to an eight foot tall beast. His red eyes glimmered through the blue skin of his face.

"You...'demand'?" he questioned.

"How did your people get into Asgard?" Thor's voice boomed at the tall creature.

Laufey smiled.

"The house of Odin is _full_ of traitors."

The band was puzzled, disturbed by Laufey's words. Vyperia shifted in her step. Loki's grip on her hand increased to keep her steady and calm.

"Do not dishonor my father's name with your lies!"

"Your _father_," Laufey said in a loud voice, "is a murderer and a thief. He stole what was ours, and left out world in ruins. We have the right to reclaim the Casket."

"Not when you'd use it to make war against the other realms!" Thor argued loudly.

Laufey laughed, cold and mocking.

"And why have you come here? To make peace? You long for battle. You crave it. I see you for what you are, Thor Odinson. Nothing but a boy, trying to prove himself a man."

"This boy has grown tired of your mockery!"

While Thor took a step toward Laufey, the other Jotuns stepped in front of Thor, blocking his path. Vyperia uttered a small frightening squeal. Loki left her side and moved next to his brother, quietly imploring him.

"Thor, stop and think. Look around you. We are outnumbered."

"Know your place, brother."

"You should listen to his counsel," Laufey suggested. "You know not what your actions would unleash."

Laufey stepped out of the shadows. His voice fell momentarily to one of great meaning, one to which Vyperia's frightened expression hardened to one that was alight with compassion.

"But I do," he said quietly. He turned to them all. "Go now, while I still allow it."

Thor simmered. Loki spoke up.

"We will accept your most gracious offer."

Behind Loki, the others looked to Thor pleadingly. Thor stared Laufey down a beat, and he relented. His comrades sighed in relief and turned to follow. That was until a Frost Giant nearby muttered under his breath,

"Run back home, little princess."

Thor stopped in his tracks. Loki's face paled.

"Damn." 


	7. Battle of Jotunheim

Silver and Scales

Chapter Seven: The Battle of Jotunheim

The phrase "so close" had been one that had been muttered in the minds of the Warriors Three and Lady Sif, and it was practically there upon the lips of Vyperia whose eyes closed in sheltered dismay. A grand battle ensued.

Thor pulled Mjolnir in quick move; he swung it over his shoulder and knocked the Jotun clear across the opposite side of the plaza. The Asgardians reluctantly drew their weapons: Loki, his throwing knives; Vyperia, her bow and arrow—

Volstagg peered around at the angry, nasty Jotuns who approached them—their red eyes glowered at the lot of them in unmistakeable fury. It was an idiotic thing to assume that their lives were not in danger. Even as they held their weapons close to their bodies, Volstagg and Fandral hoped to extinguish the prodded fires with words,

"Silly hammer!" Volstagg cried out. "Has a mind of its own!"

Ice formed on the Jotuns' bodies. They were covered in a frozen armor around them, extended off the ends of their arms like swords. One giant did this directly in front of Fandral. Vyperia looked at him uneasily.

"I hope that is just decorative," Fandral muttered.

Thor left the circle of Asgardians as he swung at another Frost Giant. His comrades formed another circle around him from the Jotuns. While he was having an enjoyable time, a cocky grin planted on the heir of Asgard, Vyperia's face was scornful and disapproving. Her closeness beside Loki made it apparent that she was beginning to second guess her abilities in archery, feeling trapped and cornered by the Frost Giants who started to surround her.

Her eyes widened as the eight foot tall giants appeared before her, looming over her.

Loki looked at her, though anxious, to see her skin begin to shine. Lady Sif glanced uneasily at Vyperia, whose flawless body was replaced with a rough, dermal outer armor of glistening green scales. It was an unforgettable sight, though the appearance of such a live reptile was one that made her seem like a giant lizard.

The giants around her paused, astonished by such a sight.

Vyperia emitted a sound that made Loki's hair upon his neck stand on end. She shape-shifted beside him. A screeching hiss erupted from her mouth as she sunk to the ground slowly, as if pained by the transformation. Her lower abdomen formed together and diminished to a legless body. Vyperia's mouth opened; her tongue spiraled out and long fangs elongated from the roof of her mouth. Her light green eyes turned to slits. She became a very long snake hybrid; she still held a feminine prospect to her, enough to know that she was a goddess, but the human part of her that had remained beautiful was replaced with a stronger set of scales. Her body beneath her long torso coiled into a large body of a snake. Her fingers stretched into extremely sharp claws.

"Well," said Fandral, deeply disturbed, "looks like Scales has proven herself once again."

All at once, Thor, Loki, Fandral, Volstagg, Lady Sif, Hogun, and Vyperia flung themselves forward at the crowd of Frost Giants. Vyperia shot forward with a loud _hiss_. A Giant who had mistaken her to be a slow-moving python was taken aback when she flew forward like a jumping rattlesnake. He cried out in a low, distorted voice as Vyperia's body wrapped around him in tight constriction; her coils hugged him angrily and pulled him down to the ground within seconds.

The Giant's cries were eliminated when Vyperia's mouth opened widely and she drew her elastic jaws over his head—blood spattered on the ground grotesquely along her green scales.

Hell broke loose as the Asgardians and the Jotuns began to battle.

A Jotun backed Hogun the Grim up against a wall of ice; the Giant hurled an ice blade first at him. The Grim warrior swung his mace of his head, embedded it into the wall, and hoisted himself up to avoid the Giant's blow and leaped over him. Hogun took out a second approaching Frost Giant and spun back around; he pounded the Jotun with his mace, splattering the Giant's skull against the wall of ice.

Nearby, Sif expertly stabbed one Jotun after another with her double-bladed staff. One knocked her viciously to the ground.

"If you don't treat me like a lady, I won't act like a lady!"

She took him out, sliding her spear deep into the groin of the Giant who cried out in agony.

Loki backed away from an approaching Jotun; he glanced behind him nervously to see that he was nearing the edge of a deep crevasse. The Giant saw that he was vulnerable and swiped at him. However, to the Jotun's immense surprise, the Jotun's arm passed through him. Loki's illusion dissipated into nothing. The Giant turned, confused, only to find Loki's true form come out from behind a glacial structure. He stabbed the Giant just below a pectoral gland and slammed into him. The giant fell over the edge, crying out in shock before disappearing into the black void.

Two Jotuns came at him from either side; he let two daggers fly, felling both Giants at once.

Loki turned in the battle, searching—now—for the body of a snake hybrid that was the lucid image of Vyperia. He grinned to find her battling three Jotuns all at once. Vyperia's snake form, while an austere beauty in her own right, enhanced her powers to a deadly extreme—venom spat from her mouth as her prehensile tongue wrapped quickly around a Jotun's torso. Upon contact, the Jotun fell lifeless in her coiled trap. While she fought that one, her long body twisted and twirled around the Giants who raced toward her in attempt to slay her. Loki's eyes watched Vyperia's body wrap excellently around the attacking brutes. She constricted around them with a brave strength that overpowered them. They all fell to the ground, lifeless and strangled from the grip.

Vyperia leaned forward. With amazing velocity, she crawled on her hands toward a few Jotuns who were taking advantage of Lady Sif's short stature. Her tail slithered across the barren ice. The screeching _hiss_ upon her voice was frightening, distilling terror into those who approached her. She was like a feminine basilisk.

Then an ice spike flung into the vulnerable underbelly of Vyperia's snake body—she uttered a deafening cry of pain. She recoiled as a snake would do when she was penetrated.

The latter stopped their war and retreated to Vyperia's desperate fury.

They circled around her protectively.

Vyperia's form returned instantly. She rose to her feet weakly. Blood oozed from the muscle of her abdomen.

Volstagg head-butted a Frost Giant who came forward to kill Vyperia; the Jotun's ice helmet shattered and dropped him to the ground. Winded, Volstagg took a seat upon the fallen Jotun bodies around him to catch his breath. As battle raged around him, Volstagg grimaced in pain and saw his skin blacken.

"Don't let them grab hold of you!"

Loki fell to Vyperia's side to help her.

"Are you all right?" he asked her calmly. His hand around her stomach became slick with her blood. Vyperia stopped him from touching her any further. Fury blazed in her eyes.

"I'm _fine,_" she hissed furiously.

Before Loki could respond, a body flew past them. Fandral was thrown several feet; a giant stalagmite came out from the ground. As Fandral landed forward, Vyperia winced as it impaled Fandral through the chest, rendering him helpless. Loki and Vyperia picked up and raced toward the impaled Fandral. Loki reached the nearly unconscious warrior when the other Jotuns approached. Loki fought them off as Vyperia arrived at Fandral, searching for something to do to help him.

Volstagg hurried forward to his wounded comrade. He began to pull the bleeding Fandral off the ice stalagmite.

Loki plunged two daggers into the chest of one of the Frost Giants. Vyperia turned in surprise to see a stray fly forward, ready to avenge his fallen comrades after her attack on a strong group. Vyperia stepped back, suddenly mortified. She held up her hands in defense to stop the Frost Giant from harming her any other. Loki uttered a stunned gasp.

She opened her eyes to see that Loki had intervened in her assault.

The Giant grabbed hold of Loki's gloved wrists. Loki pulled his hands free of the gloves, which were still in the Giant's grasp, revealing Loki's skin beneath. The wounded Jotun sought his chance and grabbed hold of Loki's bare arm. Loki anticipated for the worst.

Instead of the blackness of necrotizing flesh, Loki's arm turned blue like the Frost Giant's own skin. The blueness spread painlessly up Loki's arm. He stared at it, confused. The Frost Giant was thrown off as well, distracted by the unexpected phenomenon. Loki took this advantage of the distraction and kicked the giant, immediately stabbing him roughly in the chest.

Loki glanced at his hand as it slowly returned to his pale skin.

A troubled gaze appeared on his face. Vyperia and he exchanged glances, though her expression was one of knowing conflict.

Thor continued to fight; his blood lust rose to incredible heights.

"Come on!" he roared as he hurled his hammer at a Jotun.

The wounded Fandral looked relieved as Volstagg slung him over his shoulder. The warriors started to leave. Loki grabbed Vyperia's hand as the Warriors Three gathered, intending to leave before things would get out of control.

From his balcony, Laufey looked upon the battlefield.

He touched a wall of the palace. A strong energy wave swept from his touch, across the wall of palace, onto the ground below, and staggered to a still statue not too far from where the Asgardians stood. A foreboding crack of ice sounded beneath their feet.

"That can't be good," Loki muttered.

They looked down, all filled with dread when they saw shadowy figures moving _in_ the ice—a dozen more Jotun warriors awoke beneath the surface, rousing to join the battle.

"Oh, my god..." Vyperia's voice whimpered, her eyes widened in dismay.

Loki turned around to call to his brother,

"_Thor!_ We must go!"

Thor fought his Jotun foes mercilessly, consumed by irresistible blood lust. Loki saw the look on his brother's face—the savage thrill of the heat of battle.

"Then go!" he cried out from his point of war.

"There are too many of them!" Sif yelled.

"I can stop them!"

They hesitated. Vyperia held her stomach achingly; her wound was not healing any faster as the blustery winter wind embraced her blood in agonizing cold. Loki looked at her in swift consideration.

"Thor will not stop," Loki said quickly. "We must leave, or Fandral and Vyperia will bleed out before we reach safety!"

Volstagg accepted this. His boisterous voice erupted,

"_RUN!"_

Reluctantly, the group fled back toward the inner edge of the planet as the Giants broke through the ice and gave chance. Loki took Vyperia's hand, pulling her next to him as they ran through the icy tundra. They raced through the edge of the frozen wasteland; a shroud of mist clouded around them.

Thor met them at the edge of the planet.

"Loki, we have to see!" Thor cried out as their vision was impaired by the fog.

Loki raised his arms in concentration. The mists slowly dissipated. As they raised up from their line of sight, the Asgardians saw before them several faces of the Frost Giants. There were _hundreds_ of them. Too many, even for the thunder god.

Volstagg chuckled nervously.

"Loki, could you bring those mists back please? Thank you."

"We're good as dead." Vyperia uttered quietly.

The Giants moved in for the kill.

Then they heard a deafening roar. A hole in the sky opened up; the Bifrost blasted down on the inner edge of the planet. Out of the maelstrom came the sound of thundering hooves; and, to the shock of all, tearing across the frozen wasteland came the All-father in his pride and glory—though not at all pleased to what he came to find.

He was astride his powerful, eight-legged steed, Sleipnir. He was clad in his battle armor, Gungnir held tightly in his hand. Odin All-Father was an imposing sight. Laufey slammed his fists into the ground; ice beneath his feet raised him towards Odin. T

The Asgardians started to react, thinking that it was an attack; but Odin just stood face-to-face with Odin. Vyperia watched the Asgardian and Jotun kings look upon the other uneasily. Laufey sized up Odin. While Odin was powerful, the years had taken their toll upon him; he was not the same foe as he had been many years ago.

"Laufey," said Odin. "End this."

"Your body sought this out."

"You're right," Odin replied. "These are the actions of a boy. Treat them as such. You and I can stop this before there is further bloodshed."

"We are beyond diplomacy now, All-Father. He'll get what he for—war and death."

"So be it," Odin answered, grim though determined.

Thor cried out in delight.

"Now, Father! We'll finish them together!"

Odin turned on his son in quiet fury,

"_Silence!"_

In the next second, they all were in the Observatory controls. Odin pulled Heimdall's sword from the control panel and threw it at him. Heimdall obediently stepped back.

"Why did you bring us back?" Thor ordered furiously.

"Do you realize what you've done? What you have started?"

"I was protecting my home!"

"You cannot protect your friends. How can you hope to protect a kingdom?"

Odin turned on the others, indicating Fandral.

"Get him to the healing room! _Now!_"

Odin turned to gaze at Vyperia carefully.

"You, Vyperia. You are wounded as well. Follow them. Now."

Loki nodded to her gently. She gave him a furtive look as she walked away from him.

Before she left to walk upon the Rainbow Bridge, she heard Loki and Odin exchange heated words of anger.

She hoped that Loki was spared such a furious argument.


	8. Light Casualties

Silver and Scales

Chapter Eight: Light Casualties

Vyperia walked away from the Observatory before she could hear anymore, though she had desperately wanted to stay. In the confines of her stomach, she felt the worst tension that she had ever experienced; but she knew that this was not the result of the fatal wound that she had received in battle.

Loki had discovered the oddity in his blood. When the Frost Giant had touched him and his skin had not blackened from frostbite, Loki's face was full of shock. Vyperia's stomach clenched nervously as several images raced through her mind. If Loki learned that she knew—had known—about his true lineage, would he ever forgive her? He was prone to bad temper when he became extremely angry, even if Loki rarely became furious. Vyperia's nerves were jangled from the terrible scenarios that ran through her mind.

A fierce burden came upon her shoulders.

In the last 24 hours, she had come so close to telling the prince of Asgard that he was Laufey's abandoned child, left in the cold to die. Loki's genes were a deformed Frost Giant, even though he looked like a perfect Asgardian in the eyes of those who had raised him. A Giant's offspring should have been three times bigger than what he had been. Even in Jotunheim, he had been rejected for what he was. With a race of monsters, he wasn't accepted. Vyperia's heart ached to tell Loki the truth before he discovered it for himself. And the only way that he could confirm it for his own belief was if he went to the lower quarters, to the Casket of Ancient Winters, and held the cube in his hands.

She feared Loki's anger. A thousand years of friendship...Could that be immediately erased if he learned that she had hidden this detail from him all his life?

The Goddess of Guardianship entered the healing room quietly, deep in thought and lost in fearsome anxiety. When she stepped over the threshold, the Warriors Three and Lady Sif glanced at her with peculiar curiosity. The maiden appeared to be stunned. Vyperia looked like she was in physical pain.

"Vyperia, come forward," said Lady Sif gently. "You're still bleeding."

"I'm fine," she retorted as she moved away from Hogun, who had walked toward her to mend her broken armor. She held her lacerated stomach in her hand as she strode toward a comfortable seat beside Fandral, whose eyes gazed at her with empathy.

Several bandages were wrapped around Fandral's chest where he had been impaled. As an Asgardian, he was able to recover from such a fatal blow, though he winced when he moved. Lady Sif nursed a light bruise along the line of her jaw; Hogun tended to Volstagg's blackened arm with warm healing stones from a lit fireplace in the middle of the room. Behind Vyperia's seat, the beautiful palace of Asgard gazed upon them through an opened balcony.

"It won't make you less of a warrior," said Fandral tenderly to Vyperia, "to allow Hogun to stop you from bleeding onto the couch. That's a nasty wound."

"I said that I'm fine..." Vyperia remarked, annoyed.

"Are you all right, Scales?" asked Volstagg, concerned.

Volstagg's frostbite was already starting to heal as Hogun continued to apply medication.

Vyperia glanced down at her exposed torso.

The Jotun who had knifed her in her snake form had embedded the ice spike deep through her dermal scale armor that it had torn straight through the green archer's vest that she had worn on her way out of Asgard. The spike had melted, but a clear gash was still slowly oozing blood, warmed by the fire and no longer becoming infected from the cold.

"What is going to happen to Thor?" Fandral asked Vyperia quietly. Her beckoning silence and her irritable responses had made it seem a possibility that she had overheard more than what the others had.

"I don't know," said Vyperia weakly. She looked up into the eyes of the mustached swordsman. "But the All-Father was not pleased to hear that Thor had went against his king's demands. Even if the truce between Jotunheim and Asgard _hadn't _been broken, it is now. Laufey...and his army intend to pull Asgard into another war. It was Thor's fault that it happened."

Vyperia reached for a few rolls of bandages. She withdrew the light armor from her shoulders, now only in a tan-colored tunic. The light fabric was torn from just below the breast all the way to her waist. The Jotun certainly knew her weak spot in her transformation.

Lady Sif approached Vyperia.

"Are you sure that you do not want any assistance? The Frost Giants have injured you. It looks very horrible. Hogun has healing experience."

"Ugh..." Vyperia's scorn was audible in her voice as she looked at the laceration along the muscles of her abdomen. "It was so stupid of me to shape-shift on a landscape like that..."

"It was _remarkable_," Volstagg corrected her.

"Yeah, well..." Vyperia said softly, "Remarkable doesn't always mean 'good'."

Lady Sif came forward and seized Vyperia's wrists to stop the fumbling of bandages in her lap.

"Let us help you."

Vyperia recognized the stern insistence in Lady Sif's voice. She slowly relinquished and leaned back against the couch. Fandral looked at her.

"What all did you hear?"

"Thor may never be king," Vyperia answered briefly.

Hogun came to Vyperia's side to assist. He examined the long cut on her torso before performing any services. His eyes surveyed the laceration. Slowly, his hands came to the edges of her reddening injury. Inflammation was setting in.

Just as his fingers lightly prodded Vyperia's bleeding wound, he jumped back slightly when Vyperia's skin began to glisten from green scales. He looked at her, steady in shock.

She passed it off dismissively.

"It's in my blood," she said calmly. "A readied defense."

Lady Sif watched, particularly disturbed, as Vyperia's scales slowly fell forward as if they were a shark's skin—the scales fell into Vyperia's body like the hair on a cat. If her body was being provoked, her instincts would pull the deadliest venom to her tongue and her scales would reach out to protect her soft underbelly.

It was an amazing feat, though it was always bizarre to see.

Hogun carefully placed a heated stone against Vyperia's cut. The sound of a sub-zero base hitting the warmth of waters began to emit as steam rose from Vyperia's body. This was merely a sign that it was working. Vyperia flinched.

"I have to say, Vyperia," Volstagg commented, relaxed. "That was a great fight you put up there in Jotunheim. Never seen anything like it."

"I didn't intend to do it," Vyperia remarked. "Though I suppose that I cannot rely on my archery anymore."

"Well, Loki could probably teach you a thing or two about magic," Fandral said lightly, smiling. "He's a good teacher, right?"

"Oh, my god, Loki..." Lady Sif turned to Vyperia. "How is he? He didn't come back with us from the Observatory."

"I don't know," answered Vyperia. "I left before I heard him say anything."

Before anybody could say anything more, the doors opened, and Loki stepped inside the healing room.

The look on his face was stemmed from sadness, mild confusion, and definite annoyance.

Lady Sif rose to her feet.

"What becomes of Thor?" she demanded. The care in her voice was strong in worry.

Loki licked his bottom lip. He was expressionless.

"Thor has been exiled."


	9. Thor's Exile

Silver and Scales

Chapter Nine: Thor's Exile

Sif, Loki, the Warriors Three, and Vyperia sat before the roaring central fire of the room. They were battered and shell-shocked, still reeling from the day's events. Loki and Vyperia coupled together on the cushions of the couch, both idly gazing into the flames. Vyperia's eyes lowered to her hands, her fingers stained from her own blood.

The only sound in the room was the crackling of the wood smoldering in the fire's womb.

Hogun reached into the flames and pulled fragile healing stones—neither the fire nor the stones burned him. He strode back to his place on the arm of the couch beside Volstagg, whose arm was still recovering from the frostbite. Fandral winced in pain as Hogun changed his bandages. Loki's face slowly glimmered from the light of the fire; his eyes watched Volstagg with penetrating thought. Vyperia's guilt-ridden stomach overturned when Loki turned away from Volstagg to peer at his own arm.

Undamaged.

Vyperia distracted him for a moment when she reached across Loki's vision; her hand interlaced with his fingers and brought his wrist into her lap. Loki's expression didn't change, but he looked at her as she leaned back against the couch. She met his eyes. Loki's searched hers as if prying for an explanation. She gave him a very weak smile.

Volstagg busied his fidgeting hand with a large mug of mead, provided to him by Lady Sif, who had left the healing room for a brief minute to hand them all comforting bouts of alcohol. Vyperia's remained untouched; her stomach tossed and turned uncomfortably in the presence of Loki.

"We should never have let him go," said Volstagg when the silence seemed to deafen.

"There was no stopping him," Sif said, sitting down.

"At least he is only banished," Fandral reached optimistically, "and not dead. Which is what we all would be if that guard hadn't told Odin where we had gone."

Volstagg shook his head,

"How _did_ the guard know?"

"I told him."

The Warriors Three and Vyperia turned to see Loki, whose eyes looked away from the fire to peer at them with conviction.

"What?" Fandral said, surprised.

"I told Heimdall to go to Odin after we had left. Though he should be flogged for taking so long."

Volstagg's face lit up in disbelief.

"You told the guard?"

"I saved our lives!" Loki said shamelessly. "And Thor's. I had no idea that Father would _banish_ him for what he did."

"Loki," Sif pleaded as she rose to her feet, "you are the only one who can help Thor now. You must go to the All-Father and convince him to change his mind!"

"And if I do, what then?" Loki replied. He rose to his feet to meet Lady Sif so that she did not tower over him. Vyperia's eyes followed him. "I love Thor more dearly than any of you, but you know what he is. He's arrogant. He's reckless. He's dangerous. You saw how he was today. Is that what Asgard needs from his king?"

The others exchanged glances, torn. Loki had a point. He left the room without another word. Hogun stared at him. Vyperia lowered her gaze from Loki's retreating back and closed her eyes.

"He may speak for the good of Asgard," Lady Sif said quietly. "But Loki has always been jealous of Thor."

"We should be grateful to him," Volstagg sighed. "He saved our lives."

Vyperia sighed.

"He may be jealous of his brother," she said through calm words, "but he certainly knows what he is talking about. Thor took us into Jotunheim _knowing_ that the Jotuns would fight. He went in there searching for war. We shouldn't have let him go—or we should have let him go _alone._"

"Why did you go if you disagreed so much?" Lady Sif retorted, obviously nerve-stricken by Vyperia's words.

"I didn't do it for him," Vyperia said irritably, though her voice was still tranquil. Her expression, though, could cut through glass. "I left because Loki asked me to. If it hadn't been for that, I would have stayed. _And _I would have gone to the All-Father as well."

"Laufey said that there were traitors in the house of Odin," Hogun uttered.

They turned to the usually quiet Hogun.

Vyperia's face contorted to one of self-righteousness.

"Why is it," Fandral sighed in simmering irritation, "that every time you choose to speak, it has to be something dark and ominous?"

"A master—a true master," Hogun continued, "could easily bring three Jotuns into Asgard."

Understanding swept through the faces of the Warriors Three. Lady Sif went through the motions of confusion and soft denial. Vyperia, though, already knew of this and instantly shook her head.

"That is a terrible thing to say," she hissed.

"Oh, I agree with her!" Volstagg chimed, shaking his head. "Surely not!"

"Loki has always been one for mischief, my friends," Fandral installed swiftly, "but you're talking about something else entirely."

"Who else could elude Heimdall's gaze with tricks of light and shadow?" demanded Sif, for logic's sake.

"The ceremony was interrupted _just_ before Thor was named king," Volstagg muttered.

Vyperia rose to her feet, no longer in desire to hear much more.

"Where are you going, Vyperia?" asked Lady Sif competitively.

"I'm done hearing about this."

"Vyperia, we _must_ go to Odin about this!" Sif called after her.

She had already started to walk away. When Sif said this, Vyperia turned on her heel and walked toward her, anger instilled on her usual cheerful face.

"What you four are suggesting," she whispered, "is that Loki is a traitor to the crown. He is Odinson, and you want to _fight_ him on that? Who do you think that the All-Father will believe, Sif? Volstagg? Hogun? Fandral?"

"You defend him so strongly because he is your lover, Vyperia," Fandral said with compassionate understanding. "It is all right to feel upset about this."

Vyperia had no response to that. Instead she trailed after Loki out of the room.

She found Loki striding down a silent corridor.

"Loki."

Her voice was quiet.

Loki stopped in his trail and turned to look at her. He waited until she was standing in front of him.

"Loki, we have to talk..."

"Later."

"No...now," she said tenderly.

Loki stared at her.

"What?"

"Not here," Vyperia replied. Loki glanced at her hands, which wrung together nervously. She licked her lips uncertainly. "I know where you are going. I know what you are about to do."

"And what am I doing?" Loki challenged.

She sighed shakily.

"Please, just let me talk to you...before you go to the Casket of Ancient Winters...and see for yourself..."

As if she had read his mind, Loki's eyes widened at her statement. He hesitated.

"Fine."

He grabbed her hand and they walked to the closest, abandoned room.

Vyperia closed the door behind her.


	10. An Asgardian Secret

Silver and Scales

Chapter Ten: An Asgardian Secret

When Vyperia turned around to speak to Loki, she was taken aback by the dark look in his eyes. It was penetrating, calculating, and it turned Vyperia's stomach. While the expression on his beautiful face was haunting, her heart beat quickened as she felt the familiar wetness bury deep into the pit of her stomach. Loki's blue eyes stunned hers with retreating fear, but the enveloping fright that it instilled in Vyperia's chest was arousing.

Loki stood in the middle of an empty washroom. He watched her carefully.

"How did you know that I was heading toward the chamber, Vyperia?" he asked her in a strangely quiet voice.

"Loki..." Vyperia said breathlessly; her voice hitched upon speaking. She was frightened of the look he had on his regal features. The threat was simmering, not outspoken like Thor's intimidating method. Loki's soft anger was like the growing frustration of a woman who was waiting for the right to strike.

Loki stepped forward when he didn't receive an answer.

"_How did you know_?" he demanded from her. He waited.

She emitted a sigh of one in defeat.

"Please, forgive me," she whispered softly.

As if her words had pulled at her heartstrings, Vyperia felt her eyes burn with onset tears as she forced herself to come clean. However, Loki's face softened as her words uttered themselves so meekly and tender. He stared at her, surprised.

"Vyperia...Does this have anything to do with what happened in the garden? Does it have to do with what you were trying to tell me?"

She nodded.

She bit her bottom lip, trying to sequester a thousand years of secret-keeping from spilling out of her mouth. Vyperia's breath shook as she spoke.

"I was sworn to say nothing," Vyperia uttered. "I was told that I would be thrown into exile if I said anything. You must understand that. You must..."

"_What_ is it?" asked Loki.

"You're born of a Jotun; you're born of your father, Laufey." Vyperia confessed.

Loki stared point-blank.

"_What?_"

"It is true, love," Vyperia muttered.

"You..._lie_," Loki said.

His stunted expression smoldered.

Vyperia's eyes widened.

"No."

"Are you lying to me?" he demanded, suddenly angry.

"No." Vyperia shook her head, fearing his rising voice. "No. No. Please, you must believe me. You must understand. I pleaded with the All-Father to tell you. I wanted to, you _must_ know that."

Even as her emotions ran high, and her words spilled out of her, Loki shook his head in disbelief. His hands seized her shoulders as if to force the truth out of her; Vyperia whimpered in growing fear as his expression faltered from shock to one of rage.

"How could say something like that?" he assaulted.

"It's not a lie." She implored him weakly. "It's not a lie,"

"Is this to prove me wrong? Because I pulled you into Jotunheim? Is this because Thor was exiled? Is that it? Is that why you tell me this? _Vyperia!_"

"It's not a lie, I swear...I swear," Vyperia cried. Her hands shielded her face from his angry glare.

"You look me in the eye, and you tell me this abomination. You _look_ at me."

He grabbed her by her wrists and pried her fingers from her eyes. His blue eyes burned into hers, which had watered from her outcry of desperation—she cowered in front of him with no escape, no way out. Vyperia's strength and combative attitude toward those who argued with her failed as Loki sternly assaulted her. She couldn't argue with him while he was so angry; and although she was telling the truth, a part of her truly wanted to tell him that all of this was a jest...just a cruel joke to play on the god of mischief.

Tears slowly streamed down from Vyperia's cheeks as he forced her to come clean.

"Please, Loki..._please..._I'm sorry."

"What?"

"It is true. I never wanted to keep quiet; I wanted to tell you, but your father—"

"_He_ told me that my birth right was to be a king. I _am _an Asgardian. Tell me that you are lying!"

"It's not a lie," she cried out. "Loki, I—"

"We'll see about this."

Before she could stop him, Loki seized her wrist and pulled her along with him. He pried the unlocked door open and dragged her along the corridor angrily.

"Stop. You must believe me! I—"

Loki stopped her incessant pleas by halting in mid-step and crammed a hand over her mouth.

"_Stop this,_" he growled. His charming voice lowered to one of a dark simmer. "You will come with me to the chamber. We will settle this. If you are lying to me, if I discover that you have caused this for nothing..."

He made an empty threat.

They passed through corridor after corridor. Upon entering a large vault, Loki released her arm and passed her down the stairs that led to a long walkway; at the end of the path was the glowing Casket of Ancient Winters. Vyperia's eyes were moist; her cheeks were stained with quiet tears.

"Please."

Her soft voice echoed in the empty, quiet hall. Loki ignored her and stepped toward it. While he intended to make good on his word, his eyes faltered as he gazed at the Casket in front of him. He walked over to it slowly, and reached out to it. Loki lifted it between his forearms off its pedestal.

Vyperia uttered a small cry as a blueness spread from Loki's arms, across his body. The blueness spread further and it consumed his whole body. His eyes widened in surprise...and simmered anger. It was not aimed at Vyperia, who had begged him to believe her. Instead, he closed his eyes to absorb this phenomenon, wishing that his love had bespoken falsities.

From behind Vyperia, she heard Odin cry out,

"_STOP!_"

Loki turned to see Odin as he hurried into the room. Vyperia and Odin made eye contact; and she lowered her gaze, feeling defeated and spited at the same time. Odin's gaze left Loki's lover to fall upon his second son in dismay.

"Am I cursed?" asked Loki softly.

"No. Put the Casket down."

Loki's brilliant red eyes watched him carefully, and then met the saddened green pair of Vyperia. New tears ran down her cheeks as she understood that look in his face. It was of anger, sadness, and realization.

"What am I?" asked Loki as he lowered the Casket back upon its pedestal. As he had released it from his grip, his body quickly returned to its normal form and color. He stared at his father.

"You're my son."

"What more than that?"

Odin didn't answer. He looked suddenly weary, burdened. Loki sized him up and slowly understood that Vyperia's claim, her years of secret-keeping, was true.

"The Casket," said Loki, "wasn't the only thing that you took from Jotunheim that day, was it?"

"No," Odin answered. He glanced at Vyperia, who momentarily turned away, unable to bear to hear the confession that was to follow.

"In the aftermath of the battle," Odin explained gently, "I went into the Temple; and I found a baby. Small for a giant's offspring—abandoned, suffering, left to die.

"Laufeyson."

"Laufeyson...?"

His heartbreak on his face pummeled hard into Vyperia's stomach.

"Why?" asked Loki, as he desperately struggled to make sense of it all. "You were knee-deep in Jotun blood. Why? Why did you take me?"

"You were an innocent child."

"No. You took me for a purpose, what was it?"

Tears formed in Loki's eyes as Odin remained quiet.

"TELL ME!"Loki screamed in the silence.

Vyperia watched the scene unfold, her hand on her mouth. It pained her to see Loki so angry and sad. The pain that he felt might have heightened, as she had known about it for years and said nothing.

"I thought," Odin explained, "that we could unite our kingdoms one day, bring about an alliance, bring about a permanent peace...through you."

"What?" Loki's voice asked faintly, aching.

"But those plans no longer matter," Odin uttered.

"So I am no more than another stolen relic, locked up here until you might have use of me?"

"Why do you twist my words?"

"You could have told me what I was from the beginning. _Why_ didn't you?"

"You are my son. My blood. I wanted only to protect you from the truth."

"Why? Because I...I'm the monster that parents tell their children about at night?"

"Don't..." Odin whispered.

Loki's look of intense sadness smoldered to an upset fury in his eyes. He rose up to the stairs, confronting his father angrily,

"It all makes sense now. Why you favored Thor _all_ these years!"

"Listen..."

"Because no matter _how_ much you claim to 'love' me, you could never have a Frost Giant sitting on the Throne of Asgard!"

Odin's body began to shake. He lifted his hand in a soft plea. Odin slowly fell to the stairs, weakened by the burden of his son's revelation and the oncoming of an ancient war.

"Listen to me!" Odin uttered weakly. "Please..."

Loki gazed upon his father who slowly quieted. He collapsed to the stone floor. Vyperia rushed forward to stand beside Loki who lowered beside him. Loki took Odin into his arms, his gaze falling from anger to one of submissive concern.

"Father..." When his father would not stir, "Guards! Guards, please, help!"


	11. The Monster Within

Silver and Scales

Chapter Eleven: The Monster Within

Odin had fallen into the Odinsleep, something that he had been putting off for quite some time; and the events of late had been a large burden upon his shoulders, so much that he had collapsed underneath the pressure of it all after Loki had discovered his true parentage. While Loki walked the guards and his unconscious father back to the All-Father's quarters, Vyperia disappeared from behind Loki's back to enter her bedroom. It was blanketed by the darkness from outside her windows. Night had fallen.

Vyperia gently closed the door, silent.

Her eyes were puffy from crying. She was sad to have seen Loki become outraged and hurt after finding out the truth. She was angry to have learned that although she had spoken the truth, Loki had thought that she had lied. Vyperia was shell-shocked after being frightened by Loki's rage. And now she was troubled at the drop of her king—the most powerful man in the nine realms lay helpless in his bed, as vulnerable as a mortal, in recovery.

She quietly disrobed and slipped under the covers of her sheets. The fabric was warm and comforting. While she lay in bed, her head upon soft pillows, she didn't fall asleep. Her eyes were wide open, despite their efforts to close under the tired feeling.

Her mind buzzed.

The Warriors Three and Lady Sif believed that Loki was a fool and a traitor. Thor was banished until he could prove that he was a worthy Asgardian. Odin lay powerless. Asgard was without a king. And her lover named her a liar, betrayed.

Vyperia emitted a crestfallen sigh.

She desired sleep so that she could erase what had happened. It felt like hours had passed.

Then the door slowly opened with the weakest of creaks. Cat-like footfalls could barely be heard inside; then the door slowly closed with a soft click. Vyperia raised her hand to her cheeks to quickly wipe away stray tears.

"Vyperia."

Loki's voice said her name through the quiet barrier. It was calm, tepid, and gentle. He intended to speak to her if she was awake; but if she was asleep, he wouldn't wake her. Vyperia's stomach clenched with anxiety, but she was warmed by his presence—he came by her bedroom, of his way. She felt the shift of the weight beside her, and Loki's body climbed in to lay next to her, even though she lay still, motionless.

By the sound of how he slid into bed, Vyperia sensed that he was dressed down from his light armor to his personal attire.

Vyperia sighed, sounding as if she had not had a restful sleep since the beginning of time. Loki looked at her from his perception; and his expression explained his mortal understanding of how the day's events had impacted her. When she didn't acknowledge his presence, when she did nothing even to merely look at him; Loki set a hand on her arm...

"Vyperia, turn to me?"

Upon his voice was a soft request.

Without looking at him, without turning to his direction, she answered.

"I'm sorry," she said through her broken voice.

"Look at me."

She turned over on her side. Loki lay beside her, his head propped up by the support of his elbow. His eyes that had shined with anger before, now were kind and docile.

He smiled at her when she recanted. Loki gazed down at her shining face for a lingering moment. His hand at his side drew to her face and caressed her cheek; his thumb tenderly wiped away the wetness on her jawline. As if he had registered that she had been crying, he leaned forward and lightly kissed her forehead. Her heated skin met his lips; it was the equal sensation of a damp washcloth easing the burning heat of a fever.

They spoke not a word for a minute.

"Mother said," Loki began in a low, tremulous voice, "that when you were old enough to comprehend my father's will, you pleaded with him to tell me the truth; that, against your will, you were sworn to say nothing to me about this.

"Vyperia," he said, meeting her eyes, "I thought that you had betrayed me. How could you have possibly kept this a secret for this long?"

"I wanted to tell you, in the garden—I tried," Vyperia said. "I was guilt-ridden. I thought that you would soon come to learn of it; and when I saw your face when we were fighting the Frost Giants...I already knew that you had assumed the worst."

"The worst..." Loki repeated quietly. "So you think...the same thing as I do?"

Vyperia's eyes widened. She shook her head. Her hands embraced his fingers that had trailed her cheek with sympathetic grace, imploring him to understand.

"No, no, Loki, no, you are _not_ a monster," she said through a strained whisper.

Loki's gaze disagreed with her.

"You are an Asgardian," she said strongly. "You're one of us. You're like me."

"Yes," said Loki, "but you were _born_ an Asgardian."

"It makes no difference; you are loved by them. Frigga still loves you. _I_ still love you. You are not one of them, Loki. You're an Asgardian prince, even if the blood that runs through your veins is Jotun."

"That collected, calm voice..." Loki said contemplatively, his eyes immersed into her complacent gaze. "You are trying so desperately to stay my belief as strongly as you do. This revelation, this truth..it changes everything. It explains a lot, actually."

Vyperia's expression fell from kind hope to one of silent regret.

"You should never have found out about this," she muttered. "I should never have told you."

"Vyperia..."

"If I hadn't, would you doubt your worth to Asgard, your father's love, your mother's—"

Loki pressed a single finger against her opened lips. She looked at him, startled, but something in his face stayed her loud thoughts. His finger lowered from her mouth to tenderly cross her chin.

"If you had not told me," Loki told her in a low, serious voice, "I would not have come to call on you tonight."

"You would have resented me?" she asked quietly.

"I know why you kept silent all these years." Loki told her. "Mother has told me why, and I understand; but do not believe that this gives my father any reason to be forgiven for what he did. I should have died that day, and he took me. All these years, he has reasoned his explanation through compassion and love; his purpose to keep me in Asgard was an act of war."

"Do you mean to tell me that you resent Odin for what he did?" asked Vyperia gently.

"I do. It explains why he favored Thor. Well, does it not?"

"Your mother—"

"Mother loved us both—_loves—_us both," Loki said.

He straightened to sit against the headboard of Vyperia's bed. She followed suit to sit next to him.

"I should be glad that Odin took me from Jotunheim, but isn't it obvious that—if Asgard and Jotunheim had not been at war—he would have left me there to die? Who wants a Frost Giant living in Asgard...?"

"I do." Vyperia answered.

Loki's face didn't switch to warmth as she had expected it would; instead, he hardened. Loki looked at her as if she had tried to lighten the situation with an ill-timed joke. The silence between them acknowledged that Loki was, in all matter of word, gravely serious about what had happened. Vyperia uttered a small sigh.

"Loki, I have known about Laufey—about you—about Jotunheim for ages; and I have never swayed my loyalty to you for someone whose birthright was as golden as Thor's. But Thor is exiled, and you are here. If your father truly despised you, would he not have sent you to Midgard with Thor since you had agreed to accompany Thor to Jotunheim?"

"You speak in theory, Vyperia."

"I speak with logical rationale, as should you," she reasoned, turning to him. "A thousand years of parenting cannot be subsided for one fact alone."

"It would be better if Jotunheim was off the face of Yggdrasil."

Vyperia stared at him.

What he was suggesting was something that had never been done in history. Midgardians committed genocide on their planet everyday; even the Dark Elves held lust for sacrificed lives for a grand purpose. However, Loki wanted the entire planet to be gone...to slaughter an entire race. Vyperia's silence turned Loki's eyes to her as if he was challenging her loyalties. His soft voice, his gentle expressions—they solidified to a persona whose eyes watched her with caution.

He waited for her rebuttal. He waited for her to disagree with him.

As a Goddess of Guardianship, it was her duty to lie down the law when it came to the safety of all humanoids. Vyperia's stunned expression was enough to pull a smirk on Loki's face. He waited for her to answer him, for a reply that would be suitable. If she was truly loyal to him, why would he have to adhere to her argument?

"Loki," she said slowly, "you must know the repercussions to even mention genocide..."

"It's a race of monsters, Vyperia," he said smoothly. "For years, they have bargained for grandeur; they would kill my father with little encouragement if they should get close enough. It would be simple to wage war against them."

"War results in one party victorious and the other defeated, but still alive, Loki," Vyperia defined with cautious purpose. "How could this ease your acknowledgment of the truth?"

"Why the sudden love for the Frost Giants, Vyperia?"

"It's not love," she said softly, deterring his assumption. "It's not hate, either. The Frost Giants have suffered through the devastation that Odin caused them years ago. They want the Casket of Ancient Winters to heal what Odin destroyed during the war. Their planet slowly breaks apart while the Asgardians congratulate the appointment of a new king. Laufey fights for his race as Odin fights for ours."

"_Yours._" Loki corrected her.

She looked at him, desperate to make him see that there was no difference between he and Vyperia.

"Am I so like them that you must make it clear?" she asked him, hurt. "Am I just like the Asgardians that you must point it out? We are alike, Loki. We are equals. Love makes us so."

"Love..." Loki muttered. The word seemed like poison on his tongue, and Vyperia's eyes narrowed at the sudden distaste on his voice.

"Yes," she said, her annoyance wavering, "_Love._"

"It makes us different," said Loki.

"You are wrong," she said blatantly.

Loki looked at her.

"I am not like all the Asgardians, and you know that. Many here on Asgard claim to be some of my best friends; but I know what they really think of me. A goddess," she said with burning resentment, "has no reason to hold powers that would poison those around her. I know that many think that I am a snake in a sheep's clothing. It is always clear during those parties, festivities, that they attempt to manipulate my appearance to one that is accepted by others."

"Is this why we are not so different, Vyperia?" drawled Loki. "Because you do not match the guidelines of the other women around you?"

"Have you ever compared me to the other women, Loki?" she retorted nastily. "They have this beautiful strength and stamina that I couldn't possibly hope to afford. They all fight with dignity and a lust for battle with weapons and elegant armor...and I turn into a monster whose main powers are to kill those around me. It's disgusting.

"I don't wear armor, Loki. My skin crawls away and scales replace it. I don't tip my arrows with mixed potions; all I have to do is spit on mine, and it's a lethal concoction that could seal a man's life within three minutes..."

Loki observed Vyperia as she listed her powers and abilities, naming them to be less beautiful and strong as the others. He was between amusement and damnation as she bashed herself to a creature whose own defense mechanisms were pitiable and antagonistic.

She heaved a sigh and shook her head.

"I'm a goddess, not because I deserve it...I was born with it. Do you know how irritating it is to _not _take sides? I have to be unbiased for the good of all the Nine realms. The slightest hint of loyalty switches could bear me unworthy of the title of a goddess of guardianship..."

She fell into silence. Loki glanced down into her lap where her hands wrung together in a state of melted agony and self-resentment. He sighed. His hands clasped hers consolingly.

"Your armor is convenient," he told her without meeting her eyes, "and is _stronger_ than the skin of the sea serpent that occupies Midgard's waters. It is vital to your survival, and you do not depend on a blacksmith to forge it."

Vyperia looked at him. The sad frown on her face turned to a smile.

"Your fighting style welcomes agility and stealth, and it does not rely heavily on brute strength and a warrior's mentality. This monster that lives inside you becomes your most lethal weapon; it is frightening and beautiful at the same time. My favorite animal so happens to be a cobra, for that particular reason. Nobody questions your ability to secrete venom because it is miraculous while at the same time possessing some disturbing effects. And I have _always_ liked your prehensile tongue."

He finally met her eyes, and she was almost glowing.

"You make yourself out to be a monster," said Loki, "but what hides in your skin is power."

"That is why we are not so different, love," Vyperia told him gently.

He looked at her momentarily.

"You do not have to kill an entire race," said Vyperia.

"And if I did," he said, "would you stop me?"

She hesitated.

The mere challenge in his voice stopped her soft plea. She must have searched his eyes for several minutes before answering him. It was as if she were stepping toward a precipice; and she would have to decide whether to stand back or jump off the edge. Vyperia made a weak smile.

"No."

Loki looked at her carefully.

"No? Why not?"

"As much as I care for my primal instincts as a goddess, I care for you more."

"And what if your punishment sent you one way and I, the other?" asked Loki curiously. "If we were separated, would this impact your decision, Vyperia? Would you search for me?"

"I'd search the world for you."

"And if I never came to find you?"

Loki noticed her face cringe from this hypothetical question; it was the smallest of motions, but he saw it in her eyes.

"I would wait there, hoping against all odds that you would return to me if even to explain that you couldn't take me back home."

Loki's expression was clear. He wasn't expecting such an honest answer.

Loki leaned forward.

Vyperia made a small noise as his lips touched hers in a passionate union.

His "I love you" didn't need to be said, for she already knew that this was what he meant.


	12. The King of Asgard

Silver and Scales

Chapter Twelve: The King of Asgard

"Come with me," Loki said when their lips parted from his kiss.

Even before she could respond appropriately, his hand had wrapped around her numb fingers to incline her forward.

"Where?" she asked, following his beckoning pull.

He didn't answer as she retreated after him, leaving the blankets and pillows untouched. She took her robes off the floor and threw them on, pulling the sides of the material to hide the silky night gown. He motioned for her to follow.

"Where are we going?" she asked him again, her curiosity enhanced by his silent.

He led her down the corridors of which she had always passed through on her way to her bedroom. Loki's hand around her wrist led her without any confusion of where to go. He released her when he stood in front of a marvelous door, one that was several feet high, brazened with marble and beautiful gold.

"This is the door to your father's chambers," said Vyperia.

"It is."

"Why have you brought me here?"

"You must see Father for yourself."

"Why?"

He didn't answer. Loki reached for the door handle and slowly pushed it open. Before Vyperia, she saw Odin All-Father. He was pale and lifeless, lying in his bed; the space around it was warped by the effect of the Odinsleep. Shimmering gold surrounded his bed as a vulnerable fortress. Odin looked like a royal king, laid down to an endless sleep. The walls of the chamber moved close around him, seemingly protecting him.

Vyperia's gaze lingered on the foreground of the scene.

It didn't seem so real until her eyes saw it.

Beside Odin was Frigga, seated by her husband's side, holding his hand. She was dressed down from the regal appearance of a beautiful queen; her long hair fell down her shoulders as if like it was an endless blonde shower of hair. Her eyes were downcast, sad and worried. Loki took Vyperia's hand in his and led her into the room.

Upon seeing them together, Frigga smiled warmly at them; her eyes softened as Vyperia approached the casket. Loki said nothing as he sat down on the opposite side of his mother, glancing at his father with a stony look on his face. Vyperia gazed at the closer body of Odin, relatively numb at seeing him there, motionless.

He looked dead.

She strode around the casket and stood before Frigga.

"My queen..." Vyperia greeted Asgard's majesty courteously, leaning forward to bow before Frigga.

Loki smiled as Frigga's hand lightly grazed Vyperia's head for a moment, then instilled her fingers along Vyperia's hair as a mother would to a child who had complimented her. The motion made Vyperia look up at her.

Frigga's gaze was pleasant and welcoming.

"Stand straight, my dear," she said in a voice that was most amused. "You are as much family to me as anyone else in this castle."

Vyperia's eyes questioned the manner in which Frigga spoke to her.

Those in Asgard who claimed themselves better and more worthy of remembrance had always cast Vyperia into shadow, as if she was less worthy of the title of a goddess than the next person. However, Frigga showed welcome and love that Vyperia hadn't seen in any other face than her personal friends. Frigga motioned for Vyperia to carry through the request. Vyperia straightened her back, still in a state of query, but smiled all the same.

Frigga turned to Loki. They exchanged warm smiles.

"Sit beside me, Vyperia." Frigga beckoned, indicating a chair next to her.

"Uh...All right..."

When Vyperia sat down, Frigga looked at her, noticing the discomfort about Loki's love interest.

"Vyperia, you are not like the other women that I have seen come and go in this household. Thor and Loki have encountered women whom I thought were very suitable queens, but all come and go." Frigga smiled endearingly. "You are well-respected within this castle, even if you think that you are not."

"No offense, Your Highness," offered Vyperia with a weary smile, "but the hand-maidens, servants, and your loyal chefs and butlers may have you fooled."

Realizing Vyperia's skepticism, Frigga shook her head.

"You are my son's loving girl, whether or not they choose to accept it. You kept your promise to your king that you would never have relayed the truth about Loki."

Vyperia glanced at Loki, who lowered his gaze to Odin.

"I tried to tell Loki the truth," confessed Vyperia. Frigga's gaze didn't teeter from warm compassion. "I was going to tell him before Thor's coronation."

"It wasn't out of resentment, was it?" asked Frigga curiously. She didn't seem too mad about it.

"No," answered Vyperia truthfully.

"Then you had nothing to fear," Frigga returned.

She looked at Loki.

"I asked him to be honest with you from the beginning. There should never be secrets in a family."

"So why did he lie?" asked Loki.

"He kept the truth from you so that you would _never_ feel different. You are in every way our son, Loki; and we, your family. You must know that."

Loki stared at Odin, and then his gaze fell upon Vyperia.

"You can speak to him," said Frigga softly. "He can see and hear us, even now."

"How long will it last?"

"I don't know. This time is different. We were unprepared."

Loki gazed down at his father.

"I never get used to seeing him like this. The most powerful being in the Nine Realms lying helpless until his body is restored."

"But he's put it off for so long, I fear..."

Frigga's unfinished sentence was tethered with a soft cry. Loki's hand took hers. Frigga smiled gratefully. She wiped the tears from her eyes. Vyperia's heart quickened, touched by the interaction between mother and son.

"You are a good son, Loki." Frigga said gently.

Loki merely sat there, uncertain of how he should act or feel.

"We mustn't lose hope that your father will return to us." Frigga said. "And your brother..."

What came across as concern for Thor on Loki's face was something less than that as Loki looked up at Frigga in mild shock. Vyperia had known Loki for many years, and she knew that the look on his face was mild disappointment, nothing more. However, Vyperia kept silent during those swift two minutes that his expression went from said disappointment to one of gentle curiosity.

"What hope is there for Thor?"

"There is always a purpose to everything that your father does." Frigga answered. "Thor may yet find a way home."

Loki looked openly troubled by the revelation. He rose to his feet and headed for the exit. Vyperia's stomach turned when she felt the sensation of numerous light footsteps prod their way to the door. Then the clatter of armored footsteps hurriedly approached.

Vyperia rose to her feet and slowly came to stand by Loki.

The Einherjar guards entered the room, and blocked the way. Loki tensed, prepared for the worst; but the guards merely stood there before them. Vyperia and Loki exchanged baffled looks. They glanced over their shoulders to look at Frigga.

"Thor is banished," she said loudly. "The line of succession falls to you. Until he awakens, Asgard..."

A guard stepped forward, holding Odin's staff, Gungnir, in his hands,

"...is yours."

Vyperia's eyes widened as the Einherjar guard knelt before Loki, whose face was a clear slate of utter shock. The guard held the staff in his hands and offered Gungnir to Loki, waiting for the newly appointed king to take the proffered spear. Loki glanced at Vyperia, who smirked.

His eyes watched Vyperia as she slowly lowered to the floor on her knees; she bowed before him. The guards behind he who offered Loki the spear followed Vyperia's suit. They knelt down as well.

"Make your father proud," Frigga said with a big smile, "my king."

Loki reached out tentatively. As he took it into his hands, he inhaled slowly as one would to relish a moment. Vyperia smirked at him as he grasped it tightly.

He liked the feel of it in his hands...


	13. The Queen of Asgard

Silver and Scales

Chapter Thirteen: The Queen of Asgard

Loki and Vyperia were seen an hour later after Loki's appointment in the garden, the same beautiful nature's palace that had accompanied their high-strung encounter before Thor's coronation. It had become a reoccurring place where either regal being would be found; Loki knew that Vyperia was swayed by the beauty of the mystic veil that the willow tree forest gave her—Vyperia knew that Loki's location always wandered to the basin's sparkling waters. Those who looked upon the garden could see the pair walking side by side along the flower-strewn, cobble-stoned steps, quiet and lost in whatever deep thought that drove them to silence.

Vyperia's arm was threaded through his, which clung to Gungnir; his fingers tapped playfully along the spear's body, relishing the gained power in his hand. A self-evident smirk was on his lips, and it hadn't faded since the master guard had handed it to him in Odin's chambers. It was something that he had not wanted in the long-term; but now the power was within his clutches, and it was delicious, finally within his reach. With his brother in exile, this was a strain of beautiful triumph in Loki's eyes.

Loki was on the throne; his mother praised him for his responsible pull upon the succession. His brother was in Midgard, exiled unto deemed worthy—but Thor was temperamental, arrogant, and aggressive; so his possibility of befriending a mere mortal was well-below probable. Asgard was under the rule of a king. Yet, as Loki pondered the matter with a confident grin, he realized that without a queen, he was a mere dictator on the throne.

Odin's rule was not bargained with Frigga, it was not shared. Yet those who looked upon Odin also looked up to Frigga. She was the second piece to a ruler well-deserved.

Loki's gaze slowly turned to Vyperia. She walked with him in similar silence. Her head lay upon his shoulder as they strode through the garden. She was well-content with being in his presence, proud and ever-loving. Vyperia was one who was extraordinary; although he didn't need to compare her to other women to realize that her powers and abilities were not Asgardian.

Vyperia was always assumed to be related to the beasts of snakes, creatures that slithered in and out of nests only on their convenience; conniving, slippery vipers that lurked in the shadowy places waiting for prey to simply fall into their constrictive grasps.

Vyperia was named after a viper. The snake had always resembled poison, medicine, and venomous associations such as alchemy and murder. Yet, unless provoked, Vyperia was warm, gentle, kind, and very compassionate. Those who looked upon her face saw only her crude abilities, not what she stood for or who she was.

"Vyperia," said Loki quietly. He slowly came to halt mid-walk.

"Hmm?" she uttered.

She was taken from her trance to look upon Loki, whose smug expression had faded.

"There aren't any women like you," began Loki.

"There are no men like you," she returned, smiling.

He held up a hand to stop her from speaking. She didn't argue with him, merely silenced. Her cheeky smile that she had teased him with slowly vanished, replaced with concern and curiosity.

"What—?"

"Shh," he set a finger upon her lips to emphasis his request.

When she would say nothing more in rebuttal, Loki motioned for her to follow him. She was confused by his stunned silence. He took her hand and pulled her along. They came to an open body of water—though not like the basin that Loki had been sitting beside during their first encounter of yesterday. It was like a beautiful lake. Asgard's gardens stretched for miles—scenery beyond scenery of lush grass, flowers, and famous marble statues lined the evergreen trees and cherry blossoms. (Credit was given where credit was due: the Asgardians were an architectural bunch.)

Loki knelt down along the waters edge and placed the spear beside him. Vyperia wordlessly lowered herself to his level, though her curious expression never left her beautiful face.

"What is a king without a queen?" he said to her for an opening statement.

She looked at him.

"Is this one of your riddles, Loki?"

"I play tricks, not riddles," he told her, breaking his formal questionnaire with a sarcastic tone.

"Your tricks are wordless riddles; and so exist," Vyperia returned.

He cocked his head to the side, examining her for a minute. Then a smirk spread across her face. He uttered a sound of amusement.

Ah, yes. She was fucking with him.

"Vyperia, listen to me," he said. "There is still an issue at hand, and I must resolve it. The throne tarries not—"

"Loki, you don't have to ask me," she said, taking his hands into hers.

"It's a formality. I already know that you will say 'yes'."

"What makes you so sure that my answer _will_ be 'yes'?"

"My darling, I can read you like a picture book." Loki said blankly. "The color in your eyes and the dilation of your pupils will never fool a master of tricks and trades." He smiled charmingly when the coy smirk on her lips flickered as she realized that her poker face was not so vague as she had expected.

"You know me to an uncomfortable extent, my lord," Vyperia said with a chuckle. "I'm not so sure that I like that. A king who sees a formidable lie is a king who deserves the throne, but doesn't necessarily want it. You will make your parents proud, as you have made me so."

"I could rule this kingdom alone," Loki told her honestly. "It would be nothing hard for me. I am choosing to give this privilege to you because you have, by far, been the only one to guess which card is not in the deck."

She looked at him curiously as he withdrew his hands from hers. He closed his hands together with significant purpose. Vyperia's confused gaze brought about Loki to smirk at her knowingly.

"What suits the king is not all too common to what suits the queen," said Loki. "I am given one of the greatest honors in Asgard to rule over it as its king. And now..."

His hands passed with a circling motion; from one hand there was nothing. Then as his fingers left the center of his palm, something bright and shiny gleamed from the resting place upon the tip of his fingers. Vyperia grinned, exhilarated, to see a shimmering tiara manifest onto his hand.

"Vyperia, please, will you marry me?"

"Yes," she breathed. "Yes, yes. A millions times, yes!"

Loki took the tiara in both hands, a handsome smile on his face. His long fingers slowly steadied the tiara atop of Vyperia's silky, blonde locks. Her light green eyes were bright in overwhelming happiness and excitement. She was unsteady beneath his hands and he lowered it to her head. Pulling away from her, his hand dipped behind her ear and carried through its path to the tip of her chin.

And he drew her into a kiss.

Vyperia abandoned formalities. Loki gave a startled cry as she threw her arms around his neck and pushed him into the ground; her carried excitement landed them beside the water's edge. Their clothes were soaked. Vyperia and Loki gasped as the cold water dampened their robes.

"Oh, my god, that's freezing!" Vyperia cried out, crawling out of the lake in shock.

She held her crown upon her head with a shivering hand.

She glanced over her shoulder to see Loki, who was still lying in the shallow bend. He was shaking, but it wasn't from the cold.

He was laughing.

Vyperia looked at him.

"Aren't you freezing right now?" she said incredulously.

Loki straightened. His hair matted to his forehead as water dripped from his chin. As he rose to his feet, unabashed by the temperature of the lake, the water streamed off his armor effortlessly. He shook his head.

"Frost Giants aren't bothered by cold temperatures, my dear."

Vyperia stared as if somehow she had offended him. Loki didn't mean any offense by it; he merely grasped her hand to pull her off the wet grass. He smiled as she shivered in front of him.

"Come with me," he said, wrapping his arms around her. "I may live through this, but you'll catch a sickness that even Hogun won't be able to mend."


	14. A Bath For Two

Silver and Scales

Chapter Fourteen: A Bath for Two

Loki sat down along the stone steps of the water's edge as Vyperia slid into the soothing waters of her drawn bath. While Loki's eyes primed her naked form, she sat under his gaze with little to no shame as he smiled at her.

"You certainly have lost your shy nature," he said in observation.

She was a goddess in a human's form. While not particularly flawless as her other Asgardian female competitors, Vyperia's skin was near smooth and practically irresistible to touch. Her hair fell from her head like a released curtain of honey; it simple rolled down her neck and covered her full breasts, hidden from Loki's view. The only hair on her body was the beautiful locks that fell from her head. Because her skin could immediately turn to scales, Vyperia's pubescent regions remained hairless...

She never had to shave in her entire life.

Loki, while still composed as a gentleman, felt the bubbling stir in his stomach as he peered as his naked—now—wife. The mere fact that he could have her at anytime he pleased was practically a high; though he had more fun taking her in the garden without time's permission than rather having the duty to do so as he pleased.

Vyperia looked at him as she lowered into the bath waters. The surface picked up her blonde locks that had been sheltering her breasts. Even beneath Loki's gaze, she felt her cheeks burn—not from embarrassment—but from obvious pleasure. She liked it. That supple glaze in his eyes was easy to notice, even if he was attempting to conceal it.

Lust was there, hiding but noticeable.

"You can always join me, my lord," she suggested with a small smile.

"What happens when I join you in the basin will counteract the reason for you to taking a bath, Vyperia."

"What if my reason was to tempt you in the first place?" she said.

Loki looked at her carefully.

She straightened, her body rising from the immersible waters, and turned to him. She crossed her arms on the edge of the tub and lowered her head atop of them, looking at him expectantly. Vyperia's smile—pearly white and ever coaxing upon shining red lips—stirred Loki's fire within the bottom of his stomach.

"If I asked my king," she said, her words salty with charm, "would he oblige?"

He cleared his throat and rose to his feet. He motioned for her to stay there. Vyperia watched his retreating back curiously. Loki stood beside the door. He spoke to the guard that was positioned outside,

"Let no one inside unless I say. Do you understand?"

"Yes, my lord. Would you like one of hand-maidens to draw you a separate bath, Sir?"

"It's not necessary."

Vyperia smirked at the silence of the guard, who obviously understood the situation that was to follow. As if he was given a look from Loki, Vyperia heard the guard clear his throat nervously and acknowledge the king's protocol,

"Yes, my king. I understand. I shall stand guard, in the case that you should require anything from me."

"Excellent."

Loki closed the door behind him.

"Such demands His Majesty requires from his guard," drawled Vyperia, leering at him, as he strode toward the tub. "I wonder if he is as commanding with his new queen as he is with the staff."

Loki scoffed at her, though wearing a handsome smirk.

A clear grin of excitement appeared upon her pretty face as he disrobed in front of her.

His pale skin was a treat to Vyperia, who never understood the appeal of a dark tan upon a soldier. She bit her bottom lip as Loki's tunic rose above his waist line, revealing a lean body that was tight with muscle and agile bones. As he pulled off his tunic, Vyperia could see his war-chiseled stomach flex as he breathed.

Loki lowered his leather trousers, pulling the dark material below his beautiful hips and further down his thighs. Vyperia's coy smile played upon her lips when she noticed his erection already tense; though she expected that she could make harden and throb just by touching him.  
As he tossed away his robes, Vyperia pulled back toward the other side of the basin, allowing his space to enter the waters.

He slid under the water with one great sweep. His head bobbed below the surface for a second.

Loki emitted a small sigh of relief as the waters warmed him in one motion.

The tub was large and spacious, equivocated to the size of what Midgardians called a "jacuzzi". It was hand-made for several soldiers to bathe, rinse, and walk out in swift haste if ever the call of war was upon them...

Though during the years of the truce between Jotunheim and Asgard, it had become a bathing basin for royalty.

Vyperia floated toward Loki.

He looked at her, amused, as she literally slithered on the water like a snake toward him. Her legs touched his as a way of touching home, and she sunk back down to his level. Vyperia and Loki exchange smoldered glances, each feeling the same sexual tension in the air between them.

The splashing of the water between them and the heat that rose from the bath enhanced the scenery around. It was like a steaming cloud of lust and passion that had been bottled since that time in the garden—seriously restrained by the Jotuns' intrusion to Asgard, Thor's exile, and Odin falling into his catatonic sleep.

Now, with everything as it should be, it was as if the world had melted away to hand to the new king and queen some time alone to rekindle what had been broken during the excursion.

Vyperia broke their gaze as her mouth met his, slipping her tongue between his lips. His hands slipped under the bath waters and wrapped around Vyperia's slick hips. Her fingers entangled in his matted hair and pulled his head back, giving her the proper angle to deepen the kiss.

Loki grabbed one of her legs and pulled her around his waist; she straddled his thigh. The feel of sudden pressure against her throbbing clit claimed her tongue, and she uttered a weak moan through their kiss. She felt his lips tightened into a smirk.

Vyperia's legs sequestered to an unbearable urge; she lightly grazed her clit along Loki's thigh, slowly grinding against him to restrain an irresistible heat that was slowly probing the bottom of her stomach. Loki move his knee to meet her probing push against him. His eyes, glazed with lust, watched with relish as she uttered a wanton moan. Her hands grabbed the nape of his neck as she rubbed against him eagerly. While it provided her with delicious surges to every extremity of her body, it didn't satisfy the burning fires in the core of her womb.

Even through the rising and falling of the water's heat, Loki felt her burning lust against his naked knee. Loki slid a hand around her waist, gripping her slick body with eminent force to pace her dry thrusts. Her eyes closed as she embraced his bruising grip along her hip; it was painful and delicious at the same time. She craved his forceful touch.

"Tarry not, my queen," he whispered to her, his voice hoarse with demand and buried lust. "Delaying your gratification will only make it more satisfying..."

Hearing his quiet command and his address to her as his queen sent shivers down her back. His demand was the delicate, delicious median between respect and dictatorship, and she loved the balance of both. Vyperia lowered her head, and her hands followed suit as her fingers snaked down his shoulders to graze his flexing muscles.

"Make me beg for it," her words hissed along his neck, her lips grazed his skin delicately.

Loki heard her words and smirked at her torturous play.

"Oh, but we are equals," he taunted her. "Why should I allow my dearest to fall to the ranks of those less deserving?"

Vyperia's lips kissed his neck. He closed his eyes when he felt her tongue slither teasingly along the ridges of his collar bones. The image was almost demonic as Vyperia's prehensile organ slipped here and there along his body, elongated and slender as a viper's forked tongue between her thin lips. It precariously retreated into Vyperia's mouth. He looked at her: he thoroughly enjoyed her little tongue play, though it still mildly irked them...though he didn't seem to mind it.

"You will have me beg you to be forceful with me? Is that it?" Vyperia asked coyly.

She ceased her incessant grinding against his leg.

Loki watched her move so easily in the water. Her hands used his shoulders as leverage as her body lifted up into the water's reach. Her skin gleamed from the light of the candles that lit the room as her shoulders, back, buttocks, legs, and feet reached the surface. She left Loki's body without any trace of her heated core, only her fingers pried into his flesh as petty torments.

Amused by her little trick, Loki leaned forward.

To her surprise, he pushed hard against the frame of the tub behind him and sent he and Vyperia's flying through the water until they reached the other side. The effort sent several pints of water to splash out over the edge. Vyperia stared at Loki, stunned, as he pinned her to the tub's wall, no where to escape.

His sudden close vicinity sent her mind racing, and she looked with that excited spark in her eyes.

"Oh, you take my gentlemanly manners so leniently." Loki told her hoarsely. Vyperia's smile widened. "I should make you scream my name tonight."

Loki rose to his feet, the water merely splashing along his pelvis. He took Vyperia by the arm and pulled her to meet him.

"Turn."

Vyperia turned in his grasp, her back against his chest. Loki's hands took their position: one held her hip—his long, pointed fingers barely reached her bikini line, and it immediately urged a painful throb between Vyperia's legs. His other hand delicately splayed underneath her breasts; his fingers merely sat against the underside of her swollen breasts, just to tease her.

Loki's erection insisted against Vyperia's thigh, and she longed to take him into her—even for a brief second—just to have him pound into her as if she were one of the worthless servant girls in the castle. Loki treated her graciously all the time, respectful and so gentlemanly. It was often in their rummage under the sheets that his pleasurable, charming side switched off into a rogue whose passion was unbridled into a near...well...rapist's wit. It was an instant turn-on when he was forceful with her...

Except this time, his fingers didn't roam her body in a demanding outbreak, searching for her erogenous zones to see just how much she craved him. Nothing. He stood there behind her, his fingers there at her most sensitive details but never moving those talented hands.

She grew restless in his grasp, though at the same time barely in his grip.

"Impatient, are we?" he asked against her neck. "Beg me. Beg me to touch you."

Vyperia's small frown slowly turned to a smile.

Well, he was living up to her request.

"Please," she uttered.

Even as she spoke, Loki emitted a small laugh.

"Oh, you will have to do better than that." Loki hissed into her ear. His breath was upon her skin, warm and steady.

Though while he was calm in his voice, Vyperia felt his erection throbbing against her leg. He was enjoying this as much as she was.

"Touch me," Vyperia whispered. "I ache..."

Loki's hand around her hip left her idle waist. He seized her right hand, which had balled into a clenched fist from the lack of unbridled passion. Loki smirked. Her restraint was rather impressive. Loki's long fingers interlocked with hers.

Her head leaned back against his chest, waiting for his next move. He guided her numb fingers to his neck. His hand below her breasts pressed her close to him, steadying her through the motions. He trailed her fingers along his neck, to his shoulder blade, and then along her neck. While Vyperia's hand groped her own body, she felt small repercussions as his own fingers passed along her body. Loki dipped her Vyperia's hand along her breasts, her stomach, her inner thigh.

Vyperia inhaled sharply.

His fingers left her hand to cup her clit fully in his palm. Her concealed arousal was exposed to his fingers as he prodded her damp mound of nerves. It was evident that his ministrations were making her extremely wet. Loki's mouth fell upon her neck.

"Ahh," he drawled, "you do ache."

"Please, I beg of you."

"Oh, you do?" he asked her. "How could I be certain that you really mean that?"

"I'll do anything," she returned. "I ache..."

"You crave for your own satisfaction, but do you ache for mine?" he said into her ear. "Would you delay your gratification to sate my desires?"

Vyperia smirked, hearing the slight tease in his voice.

He carried out his part very well.

"Let me show you."

"Show me? What will that prove, hm?"

His words were dripping with sardonic taunts. Even if she offered the whole world to him, he was merely toying with her.

While Vyperia felt irritation goad, she couldn't deny that his withdrawal of her needs aroused her even further. Loki's fingers lightly grazed her clit with immeasurable strokes; they neither penetrated her heated core nor slipped between her folds. It was an unbearable sensation that he gave her, but it pulled several different points of ache, desire, desperation, and sadistic satisfaction within Vyperia's very mind.

He knew exactly how to play her, just like a puppet.

Vyperia felt a gush of moisture spread through her barrier. Loki's fingers passed it, and he uttered a sigh of approval. She uttered a small plea, though her words were incoherent.

Loki's fingers lightly creased her folds with delicate pressure. How light they were, but Vyperia's body ceased with notable lust.

He lowered her to the tub's depth. He set her on his lap like before; she straddled one his thighs for proper measure.

She uttered a well-deserved moan when she felt his middle finger slip through her slick folds to slide through her walls with ease. She leaned forward, deliciously tormented by his intrusion and used his shoulders for leverage. Loki's eyes watched her pant from such a motion, but her surprise was replaced with utterances of pleasure; it fed a fire in his belly as he watched her face—usually so complacent, composed, and calm—become undone with a contorted look of one delving into a life-time long addiction.

"Oh, yes..." she moaned against Loki's neck.

Loki shifted in his position, making her body hover over his hand. His finger prodded inside her, sending tremors through her body as nothing could give her such equal vibrations of lust. Her legs squeezed his thighs, a proper reaction to his hand as his finger inserted deep—but perpetual—thrusts.

"Oh...oh."

"Say my name," Loki said into her ear, his demand soft but firm.

Her fingers buried into his shoulders; her lips echoed beautiful moans of ecstasy against his neck.

"_Say_ it," he said sternly. Upon his demand, a second finger penetrated her slick walls.

"Loki..." she uttered in response.

"Tell me what you need." Loki said; his fingers quickened their paces as her hips bucked against his shallow thrusts.

One of her hands passively fell to his chest to regain some composure.

When she said nothing, Loki forcefully prodded her with his two fingers at the same time. Vyperia cried out in surprise and pleasure. Loki felt his erection sturdy as he heard her moan. He liked it.

"I need..." she uttered through heavy panting. "Loki, I need..."

It was very clear on what she needed as her hips buckled against his hand in sweet urgency. But Loki wanted her to say it through her frustration, to cry out in desperate want that it was only he who could stop her throbbing between her legs.

"I need you to fuck me," her words callously slipped from her mouth in simmering frustration.

Loki grinned at her turn of phrase, but complied.

He grasped her leg and pulled it to straddle his thighs.

Vyperia uttered a _hiss_, the same venom that had passed her lips in the garden. If that wasn't the sign of aching hunger, what was?

His throbbing cock pulsed before her soaked entrance, and she waited with agony in her eyes. Loki's hands gripped her shining hips; his long fingers pressed indents into her skin, which would become apparent with light bruising. Vyperia's hands clenched his shoulders, feeling every tension hard in his muscles. Loki lowered her onto his shaft, and she leaned forward with inhaled pleasure.

"Oh..." Loki breathed an audible moan of sweeping gratification as she buried him up to the hilt. He leaned his back against the edge of the tip, and closed his eyes tightly. Vyperia gazed at him, a breathless smile upon her face as she peered down at the king of Asgard.

Vyperia pulled up, riding his inflamed cock slowly at first. The pace was torturous, but she felt her spine tingle with the hottest of sensations. She saw the sweet agony upon Loki's face and smirked at him, satisfied to see his own tricks pulled on him.

Loki met her thrusts with urgency and force; it pulled a simper from Vyperia's mouth as her walls clenched hard around his swollen member.

"You wanted it _rough_, Vyperia," he uttered through a quake of his own wave of satisfaction. "Don't be gentle, now."

She straightened her back to gain leverage against him. Loki chuckled in amusement as her hands seized his wrists and pinned his arms over his head, onto the steps that led up to the tub. While she thought that she had the upper hand, Loki leaned forward.

Vyperia moaned in guilty pleasure as his lips paid attention to one of her swollen breasts. His hips made forceful thrusts upwards. It shattered her restraint and she hissed a list of expletives. His name passed her lips after another thrust.

Loki felt his climax start to build; Vyperia wasn't too far away.

"Say my name, Vyperia," he instructed through a fragile moan.

It was almost a drug to hear him moan her name as she towered over him, riding him aggressively against his forceful thrusts.

"Loki," she uttered softly.

He pushed upwards roughly. Her breath hitched in her throat and she cried out his name more loudly, falling forward against his chest. Her hands left his pinned arms to fall to his shoulders as she tried to regain lost composure.

"Oh..." But said composure was swept up by the winds of heat and waves of rising passion. "Yes..._yes..._"

His own moan came from his mouth, and it sent shivers up her spine.

"Again," she uttered quietly against his neck. "Don't hold back with me, Loki," she said through clenched teeth. "I can hear it in your voice."

With rising endurance, Vyperia's fingers entangled in his hair and pulled his head back, her eyes boring into his. He made a faint smirk. Even as she tried to take control of the situation, her own climax was building strongly between her legs; it made it that much harder to control him.

Vyperia's hips bucked against his.

The water splashed around them like torrents of a hurricane, rising and falling to the sway of their bodies in the warm water and the steam around them. Vyperia claimed his mouth, kissing him roughly. Loki met her match and returned it. His hand grabbed a handful of her wet mane and pulled her toward him. Their tongues battled for dominance, their heavy breathing in sync with their rough hips colliding against each other in a mad scramble for control.

Loki moaned into the kiss.

That sent Vyperia over the edge. Her breath hitched and seemed to fall forward against him. Her walls clamped around him in immeasurable constriction; Loki moaned Vyperia's name as they rose to a passionate climax, each succumbing to pleasure and undeniable lust.

The waters calmed around them. Vyperia panted against his neck, weak. Loki pulled out of her, his stamina and strength attempting to recover from the excursion and force of her body. He wrapped his hands around her as they waded in the tide pool of the wash tub, exhausted and out of breath.

"You were right," Loki panted.

"About...what?" Vyperia returned, faintly smiling.

"I'm very certain that you undressed in front of me in order to tempt me."

"It worked," she said.

"Was that your true intention?"

"No," she sighed. "I could never resist that look in your eyes, though..."

"What look? I always watch you with scrutiny."

"I know," said Vyperia, smiling up at him. "It works every time."


	15. Loki's Gifts

Silver and Scales

Chapter Fifteen: Loki's Gifts

The kingdom—aside from those who resided in the castle—had yet to discover that Loki had taken the throne, but word was sure to spread.

After the passionate craze in the washroom, Loki led Vyperia to his chambers and closed the door behind him. He turned on his heel when he heard the door softly click; his eyes found Vyperia in the moon-lit bedroom as she strode toward an opened window to look upon Asgard's beautiful architecture. A free spirit by nature, it was always a knack for Vyperia to gaze into the light and dark corners of the palace, or to stride in the gardens to ever admire Mother Nature's beauty. A look of content bestowed upon her peaceful features as her emerald eyes searched the heavens and the village below with appreciation, find solace wherever she was in the arms of life's fertility.

Her flowing robes met her bare feet as she gazed outside, immersed in its beauty.

Loki walked up from behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. Her body was extremely warm. As his fingers locked together along the mid-riff of her belly, he smiled as he felt her soft palms graze along his knuckles. He settled his chin idly along the crook of her neck.

"I have often wondered," said Vyperia, as if to explain her meek silence, "how different and similar that you are to your brother."

"Is this a new form of bedroom talk, Darling?" he asked her playfully. "Talking about Thor? That might be one of the worst attempts of temptation that I have ever heard from you, dear."

Vyperia chuckled.

"I was merely thinking aloud," she said dismissively. "I was just thinking about that fight in Jotunheim. Thor has brute strength, a warrior's mentality, something that is brandished through years of training and a robust diet."

Loki nodded slowly, though curious to know where her train of thought would end.

"You are agile, quick, and..." she turned her head to see his eyes questioning her. She smiled. "You are a warrior, but not so keen to flog a Frost Giant who crosses your path. It has always been in your nature to use your cunning and wisdom to make it out alive...and your parlor tricks."

"I certainly have done more than petty parlor tricks, Vyperia."

"I tease," she told him, grinning.

"Why have these thoughts crossed your mind?" he asked.

She turned slowly in his arms to meet his inquiring blue eyes.

"Shall I admit a jealous confession to you?" she requested softly, though her tone was not belittled with fear or apprehension.

"I would like to hear it," said Loki.

"I wonder if you could teach me."

Loki looked upon her inquisitively, his interest peaked.

"Teach you what, Vyperia?" he questioned.

"Magic." Vyperia answered shortly afterward.

Loki smiled, intrigued.

Vyperia had always shown some cool factors in her own design; her snake-like abilities were phenomenal in themselves, but they held only reptilian physiology. She had never been a scholar in the wonders of sorcery. She needn't study to understand her powers. Now she came to him with a small request, though he wondered what had brought about her the interest in his primal field.

"What kind of magic?" he asked.

He didn't bat away her interest, rather welcomed her to explain herself.

"Have you ever heard of the Feathered Serpent?" inquired Vyperia curiously.

Loki's knowledge of all things mystical and mythological was highly advanced.

The Feathered Serpent was an entity that many Midgardians from years and years ago believed to be a gigantic sea snake whose abilities were dual-natured between divine and demonic powers. Its divine nature was innocuous, taking the ability to fly and reach the skies; whilst its demonic ability was to creep on the ground and prey upon those who did not see its arrival. While Midgardians believed that this deity was a myth, it was a real creature who dwelt in the darker corners of Earth, hidden and protected by Vyperia, herself.

As Loki's privilege, he had the unnatural power to bestow supernatural abilities upon others; though he never dabbled in the art of such illusion, as it created unbalance in the world among those who craved too much power.

Vyperia asked this of her dear king because the powers that relayed from the Feathered Serpent were not given to her at birth.

"Of course, I know of him," acknowledged Loki. "You want his abilities. I might ask why the sudden interest in acquiring such power? Is it my influence?" he added slyly.

Vyperia heard the suspicion in his tone, though he sounded rather enticed to be able to grant this to her. She gave him a weak smile.

"It's a quest to have the upper hand," she said shamelessly. "I always side-step your rule because you _are_ an Asgardian god, whether Odin chooses to see that in you or not. I have always respected you as a prince. Should it be irresponsible to ask for gifts?"

"Is that what these magical powers would be to you?" he asked her. "Gifts?"

She looked at him carefully.

"I hear mistrust in your voice." Vyperia muttered, searching his face. "I would never use my powers against you. I haven't ever done so in the past. Do you think that I will thwart you while you sit on the throne, above everyone else?"

"A king must remain suspicious. It's in his way," Loki told her rightfully.

"You would suspect your queen of treachery?" she asked in return.

He looked at her; he searched her bold, green eyes for some sign of manipulation. He was disingenuous by his nature; and he sensed that she had picked up some of his gifts during their years of courtship. However, after several minutes of rooting past the bars of her plight, Loki nodded in submission.

Vyperia grinned.

He led her away from the window to the middle of the room.

"I have never done this before," began Loki as he turned back around to face her.

"You can't do this for me?"

He shook his head.

"No, you misunderstand. I said that I have never done this before. I didn't say that I was incapable of doing so," he said. "Just...remain still."

Loki placed his hands on either side of her head. She watched apprehensively as he closed his eyes in concentration. Warmth then heat eluded from the tip of his finger tips. She kept her arms at her sides, growing with anticipation but racked with common fear of the unknown. This was something new to her, something that she had never seen him do.

She flinched when Loki exhaled a deep breath.

Images raced through Loki's mind. In his memory, a large python—the face of a terrifying serpent with elongated fangs, a long jaw, a forked tongue...its head bobbed and weaved in the dark chamber of Loki's mind. Red eyes peered ahead. Then a body followed behind its face. It was beautiful...

A thick row of feathers, colorful and gracefully blowing through the animal's slithering grace.

Vyperia stared at him, awe-struck but frightened, as Loki's eyes tightened.

Into Loki's mind, the feather serpent circled dark shadows. Its body camouflaged into the pitch black atmosphere, then returned to its normal hue of brilliant shades of pink, orange, blue, violet, green, and yellow. The viper hissed. Then it slowly raised off the ground, its red eyes shifting left and right as its curling body left the ground entirely. Its coils perched into the air...the low hisses came calmly. As it made its way back to Earth, the feather serpent's body slowly peeled away. A faded shell was left behind as a new serpent pulled out its dead skin, more beautiful than the last. The viper danced, a blur of a toxic rainbow in Loki's mind.

This was the serpent that Vyperia had mentioned, and it was one that she held dear to her. A myth that was not as fictitious as the Midgardians believed, the feather serpent's powers were demonstrated before Loki's eyes in his own mind, showing him just what Vyperia would be capable of doing once the abilities were within her grasp.

Then the snake turned to face Loki. Its red eyes watched him carefully. As it stared, it uttered a soft _hiss_ under its breath. Its body began to expand, and from several of its coils spliced two snakelets. The serpents, young and writhing, slithered from the father and hissed as well, dancing with the feather serpent's coiling waltz.

Vyperia felt rising heat from his fingers, so hot that it started to burn her ears.

As the warmth began to seriously hurt Vyperia, Loki removed his hands from her face and pulled away as a light began to glow. It was a mystical orb of yellow light that steadied in front of Vyperia. Loki looked exhausted as he gazed at Vyperia, whose eyes stared curiously into the orb.

"What is...?" she inquired, as she held out her hand toward it, intrigued.

When her fingers met the inquisitive orb, it shot toward her and hit her with force. Vyperia was slammed down onto the carpet as if she had been struck hard with the force of a troll's club, donkey-punching her straight in the face. Loki winced as her body hit the floor with a _thud_.

He stepped toward her to examine her, torn between amazement and concern.

The look on his face was clearly "_Holy shit, what did I just do?_"

"Vyperia," he said to her motionless body. "Answer me if you can hear me."

Vyperia opened her eyes to see him hovering over her. She smiled at him.

"Did it work?" asked Loki.

As if to answer him, Vyperia's body disappeared below him; she didn't become truly invisible, but merely blended into the red carpet beneath her body. He noticed her easily when she made to move away from him—the blur was easy to recognize as she scooted away from him on her back. Loki reached out into nothing and grabbed her leg. The sudden force around her ankle caused Vyperia to lose her focus—her shadowed image flickered; and she materialized in front of him. Loki reached her. She emitted a squeal of delight as he pulled her back to him with immeasurable strength.

"Yes," she chuckled. "It did work."

"You can't fool with me with your parlor tricks, my dear," said Loki, amused by her attempt of wit. "I know what you can do. Ah, and your dear pet..." he referred to the serpent, "is a father now."

Vyperia grinned. Loki grabbed her hand and helped her to her feet.

"Thank you for this," she said enthusiastically. "For all of this."

Loki waved his hand in front of her...a single rose conjured in his palm. She looked at him with a gentle smile. He never ceased to amaze her with his tricks. Loki pushed the falling lengths of blonde hair away from her face; he inserted the rose behind her ear and kissed her deliberately on the cheek.

"I will never deny you anything, pet," he said, drawing her close. His hand pressed against the small of her back. "As long as you never deny me."

"You look at me now as if I shall fly out the window," said Vyperia softly, seeing the expression upon his youthful face.

"It would anger me to see if you did," he returned.

She raised a hand to his face; her fingers affectionately traced his high cheekbones. She palmed his jaw and pulled him into a meaningful kiss. He sighed, delighted by her response. The small smack of their lips separating silenced them for a swift minute.

"Would you mourn if I left you?" she asked. Her words were curious, but her tone reached for depth. "If I left your side, lost to the winds, and yet I did not love you...Would you mourn my death?"

"Would you trust me if I said that I would mourn?"

"I think," said Vyperia quietly, "that you would hide your pain behind something stronger that could outlast your sadness. I jest, Loki, about our relationship from time to time. I tease you and it is all good fun. Never doubt that I love you, dear husband."

Loki searched her eyes.

"And what, Vyperia, is stronger than deep sadness? What is it that would mask mourning if you were taken from me? Do you guess my reaction, or have you come to know me so well?"

Vyperia smiled.

"I am terrified when you become angry with me. I lust for you when I watch you in battle, when your blood boils from the heat of carnage. You are at your strongest when your eyes no longer hold that careful, sleek elegance; and when you no longer abide by the rules of a gentleman. Your vengeance is much stronger than your pain, and I am always torn between delight and sympathy when I see it." Vyperia admitted, her tone cool and collected.

"I trust your rage," Vyperia answered him truthfully.

He merely smiled at her.

_Good answer._


	16. A Different Game

Silver and Scales

Chapter Sixteen: A Different Game

Vyperia's head lay against Loki's chest as they lay in their bed, joined together as husband and wife as any regal couple should after having consummated their love and affections. Her silky, honey-blonde locks fell over her back and puddled along Loki's mid-riff. Such long hair was loose and supple, lost in the green and golden sheets that tangled around Loki and Vyperia's limbs. Her lips emitted a relaxed sigh in her deep sleep.

Loki looked at her. He felt the soft breath escape her mouth.

His hand fell to her neck and affectionately rubbed along her shoulder blade. His gentle touch was delicate and passive. As if to answer his fingers, Vyperia's arms wrapped around him and she huddled against his naked body, pulling him closer to her. Loki's eyes watched a small smile appear on her shining red mouth.

The silence in the bedroom was tender.

He watched her sleep.

He could feel his own heartbeat as she lay her head against his chest, and wondered if she could hear it too.

He could never deny that while she openly felt the strongest of urges around him, he always burned for gratification. Even as the emerald green sheets tangled between her legs, and her naked body clung to him during a founded slumber, Loki wanted Vyperia as much as the next Midgardian who could look upon her—his buried lust was there, carefully stoked by just the small looks that she would grant him: the little smirk that would play on her lips when she caught him in a prank; the exasperation on her face when she scolded others for doing something wrong. Even as she huddled against his body for protective measure...he craved her affections.

He didn't compete for her, merely because she was there if ever he needed her. Her willingness to bend for him was euphoria in its own right. It was a depreciated ability of hers: to make him feel like he stood above all others, when no one else seemed to sit below him.

To be clear, he would not share her with anybody else. That was for damn certain.

As Loki gazed at Vyperia, he didn't have to question where her loyalties had always lain. When Vyperia's eyes always fell upon him, he would always see that faithful glow. Obviously _love_ was ever present there, but her fires always burned for him. He could feel heat radiating from her every minute; there was not a second that she wouldn't jump at the moment of consent for a nightly tussle—a midnight _romp—_under the sheets.

She had succumbed in the washroom; she had done so hours earlier.

Vyperia stirred. The soft whine in her voice turned his stomach pleasantly as she roused from her peaceful dreams. Her hands brushed against the start of a growing erection as she unwrapped her arms from around his waist. Even lying beside her, Loki felt his muscles tense. A throbbing ache peaked between his legs.

After last night's encounter, he would have given into the eternal slumber of Valhalla, exhausted. However, this morning, without any rest, he felt immediately rejuvenated as he gazed at the woman that shared his bed—his lust burning anew. She met his eyes, and as if she had read his mind, a devious smirk relayed to her pretty mouth.

Loki searched for her hand under the sheets. He found her wrist and guided her fingers to stiff erection—the sheets accorded to the moving limbs, hidden from view, but the bulge was unmistakeable as Vyperia's fingertips brushed against him.

Vyperia's stomach dropped, immersed in arousal as if she had been dipped into hot water. She felt a gush of moisture slip pass the barriers of her walls. Her king lay beside her, his muscles contracting from the sweet agony. Vyperia shifted in the bed. Her naked body, heated from oncoming hot flashes of stimulation, rose from underneath the sheets—the soft material felt from her naked breasts and flat stomach. Loki gazed at her as she pulled the blankets away from Loki's thighs, revealing to her the appealing cause of his distress.

"The mornings after are always the most reckless, haven't they always been?" she drawled, hovering over him confidently. Her hand left his throbbing erection to set comfortably with her idle companion, positioned on either side of his head. She towered over him, though his cock merely fell into the crook between her pulsing heat and her inner thigh. She smirked with knowing intent, relishing his restraint as he stared up at her.

"Never," she told him lightly, leaning forward, "do you ever need to wait until I wake before you satisfy this craving. It is _always_ my pleasure to sate your appetite...and _mine,_" she added and lowered an inch to place a pleasurable, teasing kiss upon his lower lip.

Loki raised his hand from his side and cupped Vyperia between her legs. His fingers felt the wetness along the hairless bundle of nerves; her tension was at its greatest peak.

Vyperia's eyes that watched him with a seductive delight lit up. He riddled through her words with ease. The two of them knew that the appetite for either god was never truly satisfied: merely made dormant. Vyperia's hand on Loki's left fell from his line of sight. She uttered a soft purr as her fingers stroke his cock. The heel of her hand didn't touch him, just those taunting fingertips there merely measured him from base to head.

Vyperia lowered her head to the crook of his neck. Her tongue licked the connection between his neck and the beginning of his shoulder.

Loki's chin raised to grant her more access; a small chuckle from her lips created a sweet vibration against his throat as she trailed her tongue from his collarbone, up the smooth column of his neck...

Her concentration faltered when Loki traced an erotic path from the entrance of her swollen sex to the pulsing bundle of nerves of her clit—his slender fingers never deterred from the path, merely stroking the exterior with enough pressure for her to feel it but never sliding in to seal the deal.

Vyperia moaned.

Her dominant race of power had ended that moment. Loki took his chance; he maneuvered her from her hovering position to shift her onto her back. The illusion of having some self-control was broken as Vyperia weakly wrestled in his powerful grip. He lay on top of her heated body, pinning her legs apart with his own; yet he never penetrated her, even though he had enough strength in his will to do so and his own body practically was screaming for release.

He delayed it for a while longer. He could do that. He would. Vyperia, although she had seemed to be the one to instigate the entire thing, wriggled underneath him with a revived, wanton, _desperate_ need.

"Writhing beneath me like a snake caught beneath the paw of a lion," muttered Loki in a deep voice. It was a low drawl; Vyperia looked up at him as if he had merely fondled her with his words.

"Always, Vyperia," he said as her hips buckled beneath his waist, attempting to conceal him inside her walls, "I have given you such leniency in the palace. It's a different game that we play here."

Loki secured her plying wrists and pinned her hands above her head.

"Please," Vyperia begged him. Loki stopped her pleading abdomen with his hand, resuming his hold of her before he had pushed her onto her back.

As weakness, Vyperia's thigh contracted to close—not from unwillingness—but _because_ his touch was so tender, her body clung to whatever could pull her over the edge and satisfy the gorging fires in the pit of her stomach.

Loki shifted, making it easier to appropriate his grip on her wrists and to stop her legs from closing in on him. He raised her left thigh so her leg could prop on his shoulder. Vyperia's eyes widened with arousal as he towered over her with the superior look on his face.

While she could feel his erection along her thigh that remained on the mattress, he didn't give in to his carnal pleasures as immediately as she had hoped.

No. He wanted to tease her.

While her stomach probed with anticipation and frustration, a flickering grin appeared on her face as Loki showed her that he was the dominant king in their bed. This was what she wanted—she wanted him to make her beg for him, make her whimper with such a flaming desire that it caused her pain to do so; but it was what she wanted. Loki knew this.

His fingers resumed their sweet taunts upon her heated mound of nerves. His middle finger tested the wetness along her inner thighs. She had become increasingly wetter after their little struggle. Loki smirked at this.

He felt her hands writhing in his grip. She didn't want to be released from her tantalizing captivity, but she longed to touch him. He would grant her that small privilege in time.

"Tell me what you need," he told her calmly.

It was always a fantasy of hers that Loki would treat Vyperia like a common girl, one that did not deserve a beautiful palace in Asgard. Actually, it was a dream—a little fun role play—for Vyperia to be one of the Midgardian women upon Earth whose mere _dream_ was to be manipulated, fondled, _fucked_ at the hands and body of a god. Loki intended to fulfill that little image in Vyperia's mind, and he would enjoy it all the same.

"I want you to touch me," she said breathlessly, growing weary of battling his soft touch with brutish thrusts. Loki merely brushed his fingers against her—she wanted him to take her roughly, with no intention of making it easy for her to come. Her insistent hips didn't make it any easier on her to sake her desire for Loki's rough mannerisms. He didn't answer her wetness with prodding fingers.

The back of his slender hand barely even brushed against her skin as he spoke to her in that low voice.

"Tell me what you need from me, pet," said Loki.

A soft laugh came from Vyperia. It was not meant to be in amusement, nor was she entertained. It was the sound of one being manipulated, knowing of aforementioned manipulation and _liking it._

This time was different. Vyperia liked his strong, superior persona in bed. She noticed something, though, that he never was actually—by the definition—rough with her to the point where she felt physical pain. It was more like a warning that greedy intercourse was about to take place; and the pain that she felt was more out of pleasure and need rather than a sadistic pledge.

However, as Vyperia uttered that small laugh, Loki's grasp around her hands tightened around her wrists. He pushed her fingers into the mattress, causing her arms to become strained. She winced at the small discomfort; but she didn't plead for him to stop.

Vyperia liked this even more.

His confidence had heightened in this play, and it was very attractive...even if it tired her forearms at the angle in which she was displayed.

Loki's eyes watched her as a ghost of a smirk appeared on her face. Upon seeing that smile, Loki's fingers dipped along her soak entrance. He felt her tense against his hand as he placed a long finger against her slick folds; his thumb probed against her clit.

Vyperia's back arched upon his light flick of her clit.

"What has gotten into you?" she asked through a breathless moan, looking at him with wonder. She approved of this side of him. He took pleasure in seeing her struggle underneath him. His dominance had become one that she would like to see in an every day situation—Vyperia stared at him, fascinated at this small but noticeable change about him.

Loki didn't answer her. He merely chuckled.

He captured her mouth with his own in a furious kiss, taking what was his before she could react. His tongue parted her unsuspecting lips, engaging into a passionate battle. Vyperia's closed eyes tightened, furrowed with meager excitement as Loki pulled her into a new level of submission.

Loki's hand between her legs insisted a moan from Vyperia's mouth; she moaned into the kiss. Her leg upon his shoulder slowly fell from its rank, bent with restraint against his close vicinity from his kiss. Loki released her hands to grab her falling leg. He wrapped it around his waist, guiding his hand from the back of her knee to her inner thigh. Loki broke the kiss.

His middle finger coaxed against her entrance, motioning against her skin in a _come hither _motion. Vyperia uttered a small cry of desperation as his hand was covered in her arousal, slick against her clit. Her hips pulled and pushed under his weight, silently screaming for him—either his hand or his throbbing erection—but he didn't recant to either prayer.

"Vyperia," he told her through a surprisingly water-calm voice, "I will do nothing if you _say_ nothing."

He smirked at the expression on her face, taking in the delight of such a pretty goddess squirming with such a childish pout upon her lips.

"I know what you want," he told her. "I know what you want me to do."

"Loki, _please_," she squealed as his thumb nudged against her clit. "I can't take much more of this."

"You don't have a choice..."

Even though his words dictated a promise, Vyperia smirked in heightened arousal.

"Make me come," she said helplessly.

"I'll do better than that," he breathed.

"Oh, what could be better than that?" she said rhetorically.

He leaned forward, smirking, and his lips met the shell of her ear. Loki's middle finger slowly slid into her aching core. Vyperia moaned his name. He buried into her, sending hot surges through her body.

"You will have your fantasy fulfilled," he told. His voice brought Vyperia to a state of euphoria. Her eyes fluttered. "You will writhe beneath me, as much as you are doing now, and scream my name. Do not hold back from me," he whispered into her ear. "Don't bite your tongue. It is your duty to your king to show me just how much I can make you squirm."

As Loki spoke to her, his hand occupied her fires, stoking them as if he hadn't touched her in ages. Her hips eagerly met his slow thrusts. A second finger occupied the first, slipping through her folds and caressing her walls simultaneously.

"Oh..." Vyperia's hands clung to his shoulders. "Oh, yes..."

Her sounds turned Loki's stomach, constricting his blood to his strained cock. He winced as renewed pain tore through his member. It was harder to restrain himself this time when no other session had been a problem. He uttered a sigh to keep himself composed; though it was an endured will to keep himself from abandoning all tortures to sake his own unbearable lust.

Vyperia whimpered in pleasure as his two fingers continued their malevolent thrusting.

Loki lowered his lips from her face to kiss her neck...her collarbone...

His unoccupied hand cupped her swollen breast in his hand as his mouth dipped between the valley of her chest. Vyperia clenched around his head as his thrusts urged forcefully. Her moans weakened to shallow breaths as she came closer and closer to orgasm. Loki descended from her breasts to her stomach. His fingers left her breasts to fall upon her hip. Loki pushed her leg around his waist to the bed.

Her rocking hips ceased as his fingers pulled out of her—

Her beseeching cry from his withdrawal turned to one of surprised delight as Loki's silver tongue slipped through her damp folds. His arms pulled around her legs to keep her constricting thighs from closing him into a vice-like grip. Vyperia moaned loudly as his tongue slid through her entrance, bargaining his name to fall out of her mouth as he tasted her.

Her hips persisted against his mouth, meeting his torturous thrusts with vigor. Loki looked up her sweat-slick body to see that she had covered her eyes with her hands, immersed with lust as he began to pull her over the brink.

"Oh," she breathed, "oh, Loki...yes..."

He could feel her walls clench around his exploring tongue. She was getting very close.

"Oh...oh..."

Vyperia's back arched in delicious strain.

"Oh!"

Loki replaced his tongue with his fingers, plunging into her with deliberate force. He looked up at her, engaging her reaction. She was coiled in a hot mess. Her hands buried into her hair as her body squirmed before Loki.

"Come to me," Loki instructed her.

"Yes, my lord..." she whimpered through her heavy panting. "Yes..."

"_Now._"

On his word, he forced a third finger inside her; she cried out in pleasure and her body seized around his hand. Vyperia thrashed in front of him as her orgasm consumed her. Her own heavy breathing was restricted as she convulsed into a tight spasm.

When she had calmed down, Loki reached forward and grabbed her roughly by the hair. Her hand wrapped around his wrist instinctively but she did nothing as he pulled her to up-right position. He claimed her mouth with a dominant kiss. Vyperia's arms wrapped around his neck, responding positively to his aggression.

He withdrew from the kiss first. Vyperia smirked at him, her chest rising and falling from exertion, but pleased.

"Let me return the favor," she said hoarsely. She palmed his aching erection in her hand. Loki moaned—his hunger yet sated. Vyperia bit her lip as she felt him strain in her fingers.

It was intoxicating to her to know just how aroused that he was from his small tortures that he had made on her body. They had reached a whole new league in bed...

Loki entangled his fingers into her long hair. Vyperia knelt down in front of him, lowering to her hands and knees. She didn't need an order from him to know what he wanted her to do. Vyperia's lips encased him into her mouth. Her prehensile tongue slid around his cock, spiraling around and around to engulf him in a constricted coil. Loki's face contorted to one of pleasure as she sucked hard. Her jaw elongated like a cottonmouth snake to take him further, burying him to the hilt. Her eyes closed as she heard him moan "_Yes..._" under his breath.

A wave of heat sequestered between her legs, renewing the ache and hunger that had only been dormant for a brief five minutes.

His hips slowly moved against her moment, insistent but controlled thrusts. Vyperia's tongue unraveled around him, returning to its normal state. Vyperia breathed through her nose, never leaving his cock to breathe out of her mouth. Loki's hand tightened in her hair as his thrusts became more vigorous and desperate. His other hand settled against the nape of her neck, encouraging her to keep going.

Loki moaned her name.

Vyperia answered to him by sucking harder. Her hands left the bed to hold his hips, pulling him in closer.

"Do you serve your king?" Loki asked her, his voice hoarse with lust.

Vyperia affirmed with a sound of acknowledgment, her muffled voice audible with rectified arousal upon hearing him speak. Loki closed his eyes, feeling his climax approaching.

"Moan for me," he said to her.

She obeyed him with a soft moan upon her lips.

"Oh, I know that you can do better than that," he said derisively.

When this only suited him ill, Loki reached from under Vyperia to slide a finger into her soaking entrance. A well-put moan, louder and more vibrant, was pulled from her lips as her head bobbed up and down against his thrusts.

"Good girl," Loki retorted, pushing his fingers into her again.

She widened her stance to invite him to move more freely.

Loki felt his climax approaching, so close.

He pulled Vyperia off him and pushed her onto the bed. Loki parted her legs, kneeling in front of her as she looked at him with eager surprise. He grabbed her hips and pulled her toward him with one sweeping motion.

Loki hesitated for a brief second before sliding his cock into her sopping entrance.

The connection made Vyperia's back arch, and her hips welcomed him with urgency. Loki felt her walls constrict around him with appropriated pressure.

"Oh, god, Loki, _yes_!" Vyperia cried out with mirth, her hands clawing and digging into the sheets.

Loki grinned deviously as he buried her to the hilt; a well-deserved moan left her mouth. Their hips smacked together, pulling the both of them into a feverish, robust romp in an otherwise silent room.

Loki drove into her with rough thrusts, each more vicious as the next. The pain ran through Vyperia's womb to her stomach, but she whimpered in pleasure as well as it only goaded her to oncoming orgasm. The more that it hurt, the closer she came.

Vyperia's breath hitched in her chest and she uttered a low, sinister chuckle. Loki's hair on his neck stood on end as he heard that low laugh leave her mouth. She looked at him, obviously wrapped up in the steam and the passion of their romp.

"Make me scream," she said with a wide grin. "Or you aren't worthy to be called '_king'_..."

Loki leaned forward and wrapped his around her neck—he didn't strangle or choke Vyperia, but the pressure around her throat made her devious laughter cease and she smiled at him in approval.

Loki's rough thrusts became harder and deeper.

If the woman in his bed had been a Midgardian, the force of the pressure that Loki was putting on Vyperia would have had the woman screaming rape. It was a bull-driven instinct that brought Loki to pound such animal vigor that as he did so, he felt his own orgasm approach at faster speed.

"There he is," whimpered Vyperia, leering at him in approval as he claimed her for his own.

She wrapped her arms around his waist and carried through the motions, weakly meeting his thrusts as they came. Their breathing became heavy with anticipation and from approaching exhaustion.

Vyperia's back arched. She screamed his name, but her high-pitched shriek was immediately toiled by her orgasm which ceased her breathing. Her walls constricted Loki to near agony, which forced his climax. He shuddered and collapsed onto her body, their voices restricted by prolonged arousal that plowed into them with brutal force. Vyperia curled underneath him, her orgasm pulling her limps into a tight ball.

When the pressure subsided...when their gasps for air silenced...and the mere sweat on their bodies and their soft panting was the only evidence of rough sex, Vyperia turned to look at him appreciatively. He glanced at her.

They smirked at the other, speechless to say the least.


	17. Morning News

Silver and Scales

_A/N: This story feels like it is going very well; I hope all of you are enjoying this as much as I enjoy writing it. If you feel like it's missing a few crucial details or if you want to see more (or less) of something that is related to Loki (or maybe even Vyperia), feel free to leave your comments in your review, if you should desire to leave one for me. I love hearing from my followers. __ I hope you have a wonderful day, my lovelies. Kneel._

Chapter Seventeen: Morning News

The morning rose with the sun. It graced the Asgardian kingdom with bright light and clear skies—there wasn't a cloud in the heavens. Vyperia gazed out of the colossal window of her shared chambers, quietly moved in admiration about her planet's beauty. A mesmerized smile was planted on her shining face; her avocado green eyes observed the bliss that surrounded her.

A rosy tinge flushed beneath her chin. A light handprint was implanted around her neck; though to the untrained eye, it was not noticeable. Vyperia's fingers tendered the reddened patch of skin with her fingers; she could still fits its heat, although they had slept five hours after their escapade. She did this almost absent-mindedly, wordlessly etching the imprint into her memory with fondness…and of equal delight.

Behind her poised frame, Loki's silhouette slid off their bed gracefully. His movements were cat-like—even when his long body left the mattress, the bed didn't make any noise that might have indicated otherwise. His arms stretched over his head, sore but very pleased with himself. He drew a robe from his wardrobe and pulled it over his shoulders, tying the sash; he looked over at Vyperia in reserved regard.

Loki strode up from behind her and embraced her in a gentle squeeze. Though draped in a night gown, Vyperia felt the warm pressure of his fingers interlock over the bare skin of her lower abdomen. His fingertips made a butterfly-light touch against her inner thighs. Even from this innocent embrace, she felt the stirring of arousal.

She noticed that since the escapade of last night, it was nearly unbearable to keep her hands off him. Something changed in Loki; and although she couldn't pinpoint the factor, she knew that she liked it.

He radiated a superiority that was exhilarating, almost like an alcohol to Vyperia's mind. Had she been someone less of an Asgardian, it would have been so much harder to stay away from him.

Asgardians were gods, and they held a higher…_effect_…over those who were not born of an Asgardian heritage. There was a vibe that surrounded their bodies—an air of sexual appeal that registered with the opposite sex. It was not just relevant to the princes Loki and Thor. Born as a goddess, Vyperia, too, held this gene in her blood. If she were to walk into a brothel, the Midgardian men would flock her like butterflies on nectar. The air was mind-altering…

It beheld the same myth that when angels were allowed to visit Earth for celebration, they would bed many women in a night because they were so well-endowed. (That was until the Midgardian god, the so-called Lord Jesus Christ, made it forbidden for angels to imbibe alcohol and negated their use of their genitals.)

Vyperia registered his warm touch with a low sigh, smoldered by his close vicinity.

"You are awake," Vyperia cooed smoothly; her hands fell upon his locked knuckles.

She angled her head to the side...

As she turned to look at him, Loki's mouth captured hers into a swift, breathless kiss. She inhaled sharply, caught in his seductive net. Vyperia's eyes closed and tightened as Loki kissed her deeply—a soft moan emitted from her.

Vyperia pulled away from him. The light smack of their lips of a kiss interrupted left silence in the bedroom.

Loki smirked at her.

"Love," said Vyperia curiously, "you seem invigorated in the last 24 hours. What has made you so…?"

"So…?" Loki invited her to finish her sentence.

She clung to the words that crossed her mind, wondering which one could accurately describe this new rise of confidence and authority.

"Demanding," she decided that was the accurate word to use.

She turned in his arms.

"Has my king decided that his purpose _is_ to be the ruler of Asgard?" she drawled playfully. "Last night, it seemed to be very clear that you wanted me to know that."

"I decided that if my rightful place in Asgard is to be on the throne then that is nature's way." Loki replied, pulling her closer—his hands grasped her hips. Vyperia's cheeks reddened. "It requires me to be forceful, dominant…perhaps a bit rough."

"Ooh," Vyperia remarked, smirking at him. "Your queen has no quarrel with that."

"I—"

Loki's mischievous response that was sure to follow was interrupted when a soft _knock_ was heard from the entrance of the bedroom.

Loki's face reacted from sweet tenderness to one of immediate irritation. He gave Vyperia a look before turning his head to the door.

"_What?" _

He was stern and relayed obvious signs of one being cock-blocked.

She quietly relished this side of him. His hands never left her hips as the bedroom door opened slowly. A guard, one of the messengers for the palace, entered hesitantly. He quickly observed the surroundings then turned in his awkward position to look at Vyperia and Loki—both glanced at the messenger inquisitively. The tell-tale sign that he realized that he had interrupted an intimate moment was easily recognized when his widened upon seeing the two of them so huddled together by the window. He lowered his gaze cautiously.

Vyperia could tell that this guard was a new recruit; he demonstrated meekness and held a timid posture, unlike the other Elite who stood proudly and unafraid.

"Your Majesty," greeted the guard, who nodded courteously to Vyperia. He turned to Loki, for whom he obviously held the exposed fear, and lowered to one knee. "Your Highness…"

He bowed to Loki, his voice revered to one of honest reluctance and uncertainty.

Vyperia turned in Loki's arms to grab a silky blue robe from on top of the large dresser wardrobe on her side of the bedroom. Loki stepped away from her as she tied the drawstrings, concealing her see-through night gown tightly. When she was proper and decent, Loki strode toward the door to stand directly in front of the guard. Vyperia followed behind him.

"This is rather early for a morning call," Loki told him briefly.

"Your Highness, I couldn't agree with you more, Sir; but the throne remains empty. It is the king's…_privileged duty_…"—the guard chose his words wisely (namely, he didn't use words that would make it seem that Loki was abandoning his title in order to sleep in)—"…to take his rightful place as the ruler of Asgard…_temporarily._"

_Ah, so close…_

Vyperia's face winced appropriately as Loki uttered a soft scathing noise; though, in his facial expression, it was a light, mocking smile.

"_Temporarily,_ you say…" Loki repeated the guard's ill-spoken word with disdain. "What does that mean, guard?"

"Sir?"

"Loki…" Vyperia began defensively, as she sensed that Loki's simmering pride and anger was ready to come forth; however, Loki turned on her and said curtly,

"Know your place, Vyperia."

While closely irritated that he would silence her so easily, she had to admit—albeit to herself—that this was exactly what she wanted from him: a demanding personality that was entitled with ambition, pride, and jealousy. Suddenly, it had come unhinged during the late hours of the night. It didn't seem to be a phase. It looked like it would be permanent.

Vyperia looked at the guard in consideration, but damned him to whatever Loki believed to be a well-deserved fate for questioning Loki's rule.

"Sir," said the guard quietly, acknowledging his wrong, "it was not my place to speak. I meant no offense, Your Highness."

"No one ever does," replied Loki. "If my rule seems to be a small joke to you, perhaps I'll have a little fun myself."

"I implore you," said the guard in a calm, but shaky voice, "to reconsider."

"On your feet," Loki ordered.

"Sir?"

"_On your feet."_

The guard quickly stood up, shaken by Loki's rough, low voice.

As Vyperia had a better view of the messenger's face, it was very clear that this guard was not a master of concealing his emotions. There was prominent nervousness upon his youthful visage; and it slowly became apparent that he was growing steadily frightened as Loki watched him carefully.

Vyperia feared for the guard's punishment; though, simultaneously, she relished in her husband's regard. A complicated smile was on her face as she was torn between empathy and compassion for the rookie while increasingly becoming turned on by Loki's adamant command.

"Speak clearly, guard." Loki instructed the messenger.

"You might as well," said Vyperia gently, stepping toward the guard. "Speak."

"Your Majesties," began the messenger softly, "it is the kingdom's opinion that His Highness will serve merely a few weeks, if that. They do not intend to serve you"—his frightened eyes met the piercing blue ones of his king—"because they do not believe that you are their king."

Loki looked a little stunned. However, Vyperia was not so surprised. She had expected that the citizens of Asgard would not look so respectfully upon Loki—he was always overshadowed by Thor. The people wouldn't consider Loki to be a permanent king as long as Odin was still alive and while Thor still had a chance of returning to Asgard (though, at this time, it seemed highly improbable due to Thor's arrogance). Vyperia's stomach turned at this notification, not all too pleased.

Vyperia stared at the guard, who registered immediately that now he had annoyed the queen.

"Odin All-Father rests in his bed," Vyperia reminded him sternly. "Thor is exiled. Her Majesty, Frigga, sits beside him at all hours of the day; and you mean to tell me that Asgard considers the throne to be temporarily available, despite it being occupied by Loki?"

Loki glanced at her, amused. She sounded irritated, but if she wasn't—she was mildly pierced with self-righteousness and practicality. He liked that about her: so just and fair but she could always be a bit of a shrew. After all, she welcomed the fact that he had allowed three Frost Giants into Asgard. That temper of hers was always beautiful, even if she became unhinged by the beast that dwelled in her blood.

"The people have no choice _but _to obey Loki." Vyperia remarked, annoyed.

"My queen, they think differently," replied the guard nervously.

"Is that right?" Loki muttered. Then, "Do you think that I am a good king?"

"I believe that every king has his strengths, Your Highness."

"That's not what I asked."

The messenger quaked quietly under pressure.

"Loki," said Vyperia gently, "perhaps he spoke out of turn because his news might be potentially upsetting." Loki looked at her. "Dear, he is a new recruit—tasked with the duty to inform you of a potentially problematic situation."

He considered her briefly.

In Vyperia's peripheral vision, the guard sighed in relief.

"Very well," Loki resigned. He turned his attention to the guard. "You should spread the word that your queen is more merciful than me. Given my way—if I did not value her opinion—you might have been exiled for your cheek."

"I beg for your forgiveness, my liege."

"You are forgiven," Loki said apathetically. "What is your news?"

"Your Majesties, the Warriors Three and Lady Sif request a meeting with the All-Father."

"Do they?" inquired Loki curiously.

Vyperia bit her lip.

"Yes, Sir."

"Then they shall have it. You may leave."

"Sir, they—"

"You're dismissed," Loki told him sternly.

The guard glanced at Vyperia hesitantly. She shook her head in resignation; then the guard bowed briefly and left the room gratefully. Loki looked at Vyperia.

"Well, he's a darling, isn't he?" he remarked in a dull voice.

"Loki, he's a nervous rookie. The boy was given a task from his elite superiors. They know that the one who delivers the message is either praised or criticized for the news that he bears, love. He spoke in ill-fated uncertainty."

"That doesn't excuse what he did," Loki told her seriously.

"A slip of the tongue," Vyperia excused gently.

"The kingdom _laughs_ in my face!"

Vyperia's weak smile vanished as Loki's eyes glinted angrily.

"Loki…"

"My father isn't dead, Vyperia. He's in a coma. It could last weeks, months, years—and will Asgard still consider me to be a simple substitute while it is under my rule?"

Vyperia's stomach dropped unpleasantly. Loki stared at her in resentment. She met his eyes, searching them for brief minutes. Vyperia fidgeted with her hands. His face was lit up with fury. The guard's attitude toward Loki had triggered this new side of him. While she silently took pleasure in seeing him so furious, her stomach churned—sick—as she saw such annoyance and stirred emotion on Loki's face.

"My lord," Vyperia appealed to him softly, "do you intend to murder your father in order to claim the throne, to be king?"

"_I am a king!"_

Vyperia winced; his voice rose loudly to a volume that frightened her.

"I know, I know," Vyperia said quietly. She cleared her throat and stepped toward him. "Loki, you can enforce your rule upon Asgard—make them know that you are their ruler."

Loki listened to her, though his blue eyes penetrated her, exasperated.

"Loki, you must know something before you speak to the Warriors Three…_and_ Lady Sif."

"What, more secrets?" scoffed Loki.

His indifferent mockery affected Vyperia. Her scared expression hardened to one of unsympathetic clarity.

"That was unnecessary."

He and Vyperia stared down the other in silence, both waiting for the other to snap. Vyperia's cheeks reddened as Loki glared at her. When he didn't shy from her, Vyperia lowered her gaze and shook her head, stepping away from him. Loki reached for her and grabbed her wrist to pull her back.

"Don't walk away from me—"

Vyperia jerked her hand from his grasp,

"I am not one of your guards!" she snapped at him. "You are my king, Loki, but you are still my husband."

He was quiet for a minute.

Then he stepped toward her silently. He raised a hand to caress the underside of her chin. His stern glare upon her melted to one of placid courtesy. Vyperia closed her eyes and felt his hand brush against her cheek. The hurt on her face was self-evident; she needn't say so. Loki placed an apologetic kiss upon her other cheek. They remained silent momentarily.

"Vyperia…" His voice broke the tension.

"I know," she stopped him from apologizing. Then soothingly, "You must listen to me…"

"All right, I'll hear you."

Vyperia nodded.

"The Warriors Three and Sif anticipate betrayal…from you."

Loki stared at her.

"_What?_" A brief chuckle was upon his voice as he looked at her with a smile.

"I'm serious, dear. They suspect that you are behind the Jotuns' intrusion into Asgard. They think that you intended to have Thor exiled. They intend to speak to your father about this."

"You heard them say this?"

"With my own ears," Vyperia vowed, nodding.

Loki hesitated. She waited for his reply.

"I doubted you once," he said with contemplation, "and you were right. I won't make that mistake again."

"Then you will not speak with them?" Vyperia asked hopefully.

"I must."

"Loki…"

"It is my duty as king to solve the problems of those who come to ask."

"They will suspect you further if you refuse to help them."

Loki smirked.

"What have I to fear if _I_ am the man sitting on that throne?"

Vyperia considered his words.

"I suppose that you are right."

"Of course, I am," Loki returned.

He tipped the underside of her jaw with his index finger.

"Get dressed, pet," he told her. "I have a meeting this morning."


	18. End of Discussion

Silver and Scales

Chapter Eighteen: End of Discussion

The throne awaited Loki's presence, once occupied by Odin All-Father just two days ago.

Through the corridor, flanked by two body guards, Loki strode with Gungnir in hand; he was dressed in his proper armor—a beautiful array of gold, green, leather, and metal—and he wore his horned ceremonial headdress. As he walked, he held a prominent smirk on his handsome face. Vyperia strode beside him, her arm threaded through the one that did not grasp Gungnir proudly in his hand. Vyperia was dressed in royal robes—her signature blue and white was now replaced with shimmering canary yellow trim and a sleek, green petticoat beneath a well-dressed corset. Her new appearance donned her reputation as a living snake very accurate—and it only made her reputation mysteriously elegant.

The guards that flanked them wore apathetic, stony expressions upon their faces as they walked on either side of Vyperia and Loki, escorting them into the great hall.

The guards separated and stood on the lower steps away from the throne, whereas they would be close enough to protect the king if harm should come onto him; but they wouldn't be within earshot of Vyperia and Loki's conversation.

Loki sat, sprawled, on his father's throne. Vyperia sat down beside him on a side-by-side throne—where often an advisor would sit when it was necessary to advise the king on matters that others should not hear. Loki's arms set along the curling branches of the throne, clearly relishing the moment. It was like a heady drug.

He may not have wanted the throne at first; but this became a subtle drug. The power, the authority—the seat of the highest order—belonged to him. Vyperia stared at him, awe-struck. He looked ever more regal and elegant upon the throne. His expression was of one who was soaking in a wordless glory, as if he was on a euphoric drug.

From the silence came the loud, demanding voice of Lady Sif—she was flanked on either side by the Warriors Three whom all walked with purpose.

"All-Father! We must speak with you urgently!"

Their heads were bowed as they approached the throne; but when they raised their gazes expecting to see Odin, their faces flickered with shock and astonishment as they looked upon Loki. Vyperia straightened in her seat, ready for the confrontation that she had been anticipating since Thor's exile.

"What is _this_?" Volstagg gasped.

They approached slowly, all shocked by the apparition of Loki. Loki's voice came as a smug drawl, though donned with a king's authoritative tone,

"My _friends…_you haven't heard? I am now Ruler of Asgard."

Fandral glanced between the faces of Loki and Vyperia, confused. His eyes centered on Vyperia's tiara that glinted in the hovering light's reflection. His hands fidgeted uncomfortably, knowing very well that a reputation of Loki and Vyperia on the throne would throw the kingdom out of sorts. It was hard enough to have the maidens of Asgard regard Vyperia with enough respect to hinder their mocking retorts; but this would cause a rebellion among the prettiest of Asgardian beauties.

Hogun the Grim remained silent; his stunned spell quickly faded to one of obvious dislike.

Vyperia's light eyes fell upon Lady Sif, the main focus of her anxiety. The Goddess of War had always been one to argue, especially if her opinion was head-strong and ever standing. Sif had always suspected Loki of said treachery; and now it was apparent upon the goddess's face that she felt that she was proven right. Sif and Vyperia exchanged cold looks—the other goddess seeing the other for what she was.

The tension in the room was hot and built upon a foundation of distrust and uneasiness.

Only Fandral seemed to be the one who would remain calm during such an awkward moment.

"Where is Odin?" asked Fandral quietly. His question was pointed toward either majesty.

"Father's fallen into the Odinsleep," Loki said. His voice was carefully etched with care and gentle precaution; though his expression was one of obvious liking.

To an uninitiated speaker, it would have fooled everyone. Vyperia could see it easily.

"Mother fears that he may never awaken again," Loki continued lightly.

"We would speak with her," Sif said firmly.

Sif and the Warriors Three exchanged a look. Their expression didn't miss Loki; he noticed right away the small signs of apprehension upon their brave faces. Vyperia watched with bated breath; a delicious course of apprehension, anticipation, and delight battled in her stomach as she waited to see how Loki would handle the four potential traitors.

"She," said Loki, countering Sif's demand, "has refused to leave my father's bedside. Mother has passed the title of queen onto whom I deem worthy enough to hold it in her hands." He cocked his head to the side to indicate Vyperia, whose suppression of a proud smirk was unsuccessful.

"You can bring your… '_urgent'_…matter to me," Loki told her. Loki rose from his thrown to stand before the party. "Your king."

His delicate emphasis of Sif's turn of phrase coaxed an uncertain glimpse on Sif's face.

When they did nothing but stare at Loki, he lowered his eyes affirmatively. The look was demanding. Vyperia remained silent, stroked by his authority over his old friends. They looked at him as if they had all been slapped in the face. However, one by one, they slowly knelt to before Loki. Fandral was the first to bow, his face cautious and wary. Volstagg followed suit then Hogun. Lady Sif was the last to lower herself to the floor; though she made a mocked smile at Loki, obviously hating this.

Vyperia's hand fidgeted with in her palm, wrapped up in the scene.

"My _King,_" Sif said with the most forceful of polite voices the goddess could muster, "we would ask you to end Thor's banishment."

Obviously, this wasn't the plea that the Warriors Three had in mind to mention. They had intended to expose Loki for his treachery; but that plan was out the window. Loki looked at them all with scrutiny. He turned his head and glanced at Vyperia.

Their exchanged glances were proper; and there was no mistake of the message that was conversed wordlessly between them.

_They lie._

Loki turned back to look at them. He strode toward them with Gungnir tight in his hand.

"My first command cannot be to undo the Allfather's last. We're on the brink of war with Jotunheim. Our people must have a sense of continuity in order to feel safe in these difficult times. All of us," said Loki clearly, his gaze lingering on Sif longer than it did on anybody else, "must stand together…for the good of Asgard."

Lady Sif rose to her feet automatically; Hogun and Fandral reached for arms and restrained her from any movement that would have been made. Loki and Sif exchanged challenging looks, eyeing the other with this cold, bitter resentment.

"Of course," Fandral said gently, attempting to steady the air. He glanced at Vyperia. "I congratulate the two of you on your union…"

Loki stared at him with narrowed eyes.

"It's not every day," said Fandral, slowly rising to his feet, "that there is a happy marriage in the nine realms…especially in this difficult time. Many happy returns..."

Vyperia made a small smile at Fandral.

"Thank you," she said tenderly.

Volstagg spoke as if to conceal a chuckle, finding the situation too ludicrous to comprehend,

"If I may, heh heh, beg the indulgence of Your Majesty…"

Loki looked away from Fandral to cast an apathetic look upon the heartiest of the four.

"Perhaps," Volstagg suggested, "if you were to reconsider—"

"_We're done._"

The air became tense and ominous as Volstagg looked at Loki with a sudden turn of surprise. The friends who had all fought together now became separated by the rule of Asgard. Volstagg, Hogun, and Fandral rose to their feet—they stared at Loki, taken aback by such authority that Loki now had over them. Vyperia and Lady Sif met eyes once more. Sif, apparently, waited for Vyperia to speak up; however, when it did not happen, she turned to Loki. Silent anger burned in Sif's eyes.

Fandral, Hogun, and Volstagg turned to exit. Sif stayed her place.

When she did not leave, Loki stared her down with a frightening penetration in his eyes. Lady Sif turned to follow her companions out of the hall. Vyperia's tight sensation in her stomach eased when the hall emptied, and Loki and Vyperia were left alone with the two guards that flanked them.

"You were right, dear," said Loki, turning to her to sit down on in his chair.

"I wish that I wasn't," Vyperia returned honestly.

Loki looked at her from his visage.

"Oh?"

"They were our dear friends, you should recall." Vyperia reminded him calmly. "They see us now as officials. It's a pity, too. They were very nice."

"Has your memory wiped out the past?"

She looked at him upon his question.

"How many times have you argued with Sif?" said Loki incredulously.

"She and I disagree on many things; but she was always a suitable sparring partner."

"If you could call it sparring," he added nonchalantly.

Vyperia's eyes smoldered. Loki noticed.

"You have a talent in archery, Vyperia; but you lack the skill to fight in close range. That is where you are weakest; and never have you tried to improve in that area."

"And you must be the greatest teacher to perfect that art," remarked Vyperia hotly.

"I certainly have perfected it," he told her quietly, looking ahead.

She stared at him, annoyed.

_Always the one to have the last word…_


	19. Falling Stars

Silver and Scales

Chapter Nineteen: Falling Stars

In the Asgardian garden, surrounded by the fallen curtain of glistening vines wet with the morning dew, Loki sat against the thickest of the Willow trees. His arms were propped up on his bent knees. He wasn't clothed in his beautiful body of armor. His helmet lay beside his prim body as he stared ahead in a deadpan stare.

His thoughts raced with the events of late. Three days had passed since Thor's exile. Nothing was out of control. Everything was going to plan. Thor was not in Asgard anymore; so the line of succession had fallen to him, as was planned. Loki had intended to guide Thor's passionate warmongering into Jotunheim to cause some mischief—to make it seem apparent that Thor's arrogance and brash warrior entitlement ill-suited him for the throne. That had gone to plan, and it couldn't have gone better. Thor's banishment was not part of the scheme of things, but it still worked out for the best. While Loki's brother had always been hit-first-think-later, there was a very small chance that Thor would be able to return to Asgard if he learned to understand the way of being a king—to rule with a steady hand and contemplative mind. However, there could also be a good chance that if Thor believed that Asgard scorned him for his efforts—that if Frigga didn't want him to return—Thor would have no reason to return, nor to try to attempt to come back to his home.

Loki tapped his fingers against his knees, thinking.

Jotunheim—Laufey—would want to wage war on Odin. The realms have had a long-standing truce, but Thor had unnerved _quite_ a few people on that frozen planet. It would be futile to calm those waters, especially after Odin proclaimed that the ancient war would begin again. Laufey would want to murder Odin himself then take the Casket of Ancient Winters. If the Frost Giants wanted to take the realms but leave Asgard by its own rule, Loki would have no qualms with it.

Regarding the lineage of Frost Giants, Loki glanced at the palm of his hand silently.

Laufey had named Loki to be a deformed Frost Giant and left him to die. Odin would have done the same if Jotunheim hadn't been driven through by the Asgardian cavalry. So Loki's life was meaningless to both parties. Loki frowned at this small revelation. Frigga, though, oh dear mother of his, had always found it in her heart to treat him like the others—even better than Odin ever did.

But she wasn't his mother. She never was, even if she pretended to be—or claimed to be with strongest of convictions. Her heart was there, but the blood that ran through Loki's veins would never have the proper tint of the pure blood that ran through Thor. The Asgardians would not respect Loki unless he proved himself that he was capable of such respect. If they were saved by some menace—from the Frost Giants—it would become necessary to trust him.

Loki sighed softly.

"Under the willow tree," came the female, witty drawl, "does my lover sit so quietly; yet his mind is not so peaceful."

Loki looked up to see the vines part. The wall slowly returned to their shades of green, cascading behind Vyperia's back like shimmering icicles. Vyperia smiled at him.

"You left the bed, and I felt you leave. You look troubled."

"Troubled…" Loki repeated quietly. "Not so troubled. I merely sit here in contemplation."

"That is no comfort for me," she remarked, though visibly playful. "A god of lies and deceit who sits alone, lost in thought…" A small chuckle and then, "I should be concerned that he still has tricks up his sleeve."

"Well, I'm not always up to mischief," Loki replied, looking up from his seated position at the beautiful goddess.

"Oh no?" she said sarcastically. "A thousand years later, and you still try to persuade me with that line?" Vyperia strode toward him. "This time, I come with purpose."

"Ooh," Loki uttered, interested. He rose to his feet. "Aside from tending to the waters, the gardens, and the flowers that are strewn about the idle path here, you would find some grand purpose here where there is little to no pleasure.

"It's obvious that you were searching for me." He gave her a cool, collected, charming smile. "What is it?"

"I want you to teach me how to fight."

"Come again?"

"You made a good point," Vyperia clarified, "back in the castle after Lady Sif and her friends left us."

"Mm, did I?"

"About me," she added clearly. "I am a proficient archer, and I have full control over my powers. My abilities are thwarted in close combat," she explained.

Loki's cocky smile slighted as she admitted her fatal weakness in her warrior's design.

"My powers can only take me so far," Vyperia continued shamelessly. "I can take out several soldiers from several feet away with little effort, but I am at risk when I am cornered. That is my weakness. If it weren't for you," she said with a smile, "or for anybody else for that matter, I'd have died in Jotunheim."

"They are mere Frost Giants," Loki remarked.

"They were stronger than me," Vyperia said calmly. "They hit harder than I do, and I have never been one for strength. All my powers—all my abilities—they rely on agility and speed."

"What are you asking me to do, Vyperia?" asked Loki curiously.

"I want you to teach me how to fight in close combat."

"You know how to fight within close range, Vyperia. I've seen you spar with Lady Sif."

"She is but _one_ person; I have no trouble fighting off one warrior." Vyperia said easily. "I am not comfortable being ambushed when I am clearly unfit to defend myself. Teach me."

Loki considered her.

"Why the sudden desire to fight and kill, my queen?" he asked her in solitary curiosity, though his voice carried a bit of weight to it. "You wanted powers; so I granted you acquired skills that no person has ever been given by an Asgardian. Now you come to me, today, and require additional skills that—if I taught you—would slaughter your enemies in droves."

Vyperia sensed his skepticism in his voice. She had always been the dormant one in the group of heroes.

"Can I explain something to you?" she asked gently.

They stood so close to each other. Loki's stature towered over hers in less than six inches; their eyes met with fractious intensity.

Their tension couldn't be cut with a knife. It seemed almost ungodly how their attention could be focused on one person so much for so long. It could be seen easily that their relationship was not hungry or unquenchable—they were more than just an erotic affair or a passionless marriage.

"I do not want to be the defenseless girl who idly waits for her king to be slaughtered by a ransacked enemy, Loki," explained Vyperia. Her tone was sharp, but resonated with affection and love. "If your safety is threatened—if your life should be in harm's way—I want to be the warrior who threw herself in front of you."

"That's a sweet sentiment, pet," he returned—his hand caressed the line of her jaw—"but it wouldn't be necessary."

He stepped away from her. Vyperia stared at him, thunderstruck.

"What—? What did I—? _Loki_."

Loki had started to walk away from her, passing through the sheltering vines. Vyperia chased after him, stunned by the sudden rejection. Upon hearing her voice, Loki stopped mid-step and turned on his heel to look at the sparked rage in his wife's eyes.

"If I should let this city fall from my hands from a desperate enemy, what sort of king would I be?" Loki said to her, his voice flickered with annoyance.

"I—? _What?_" Vyperia gasped, perplexed by his line of questioning. "What are you saying? That I would think that you are an ill-suited king who would be too weak to defend the people that he loves—_Is that what you think that I said?_"

He merely looked at her. He didn't blink.

His silence affirmed her conclusion.

"I was making a heartfelt dedication when I said that I would risk _my _life to save yours. Did all you hear was that you couldn't defend your planet by yourself?"

"You might be mistaken," said Loki quietly.

Vyperia stormed toward him.

"I never meant to offend you when I said that. I thought that you might be flattered to know that a queen would risk her life to save the man that she loves. Do you not understand that?"

Loki watched her approach him, her face hot and red with anger.

"I tell you that I want to learn how to fight. That's what I want. I don't expect the Frost Giants to come here and slay you where you stand. What sort of person would say such a thing?"

Loki stared at her. Vyperia's chest rose and fell with heavy breath.

When she could manage no more of her argument, he stepped toward her wordlessly. The spark in her eyes lit up like fireworks as she glared at him from across the garden. He returned to a few inches in front of him. Then, with a small gasp from Vyperia, he wrapped her in his arms and kissed her fully on the lips.

Vyperia's hands pushed him away from her. Even when she did so, he merely smiled at her.

"_What_ are you doing?" she demanded. "I'm angry with you!"

"You are mistaken, pet."

"_Don't_ call me that, not now…" she breathed.

Loki shook his head, smiling still.

"Vyperia, you should never vow to put your life on the line when mine is held in the balance."

She blinked.

"What?"

"We are lovers," said Loki calmly, "and is it not by the book that the man should make the sacrifices while his mate warrants showered gifts?"

"You are speaking in riddles," Vyperia stated bitterly.

"I will teach you," Loki told her, "how to defend yourself. Don't ever lay down your life to protect me. It is foolish to risk two heartbeats when one can survive." Loki took her hands into his, and placed her gathered fingers upon his chest. "I could not die a warrior's death if I knew that woman whose heart opened up to me was taken because I could not save her."

Vyperia's harsh features brightened at his sweet comment of affection. Her cheeks reddened. Then a light wave of sadness replaced her bright lure of happiness. Loki's brow furrowed when she gazed up at him, soft and morose.

"What if," asked Vyperia quietly, "the heartbeat that survived…stopped when she realized that her heart died with him?"

Loki's expression was slightly out of place, as he stared at her in what was unmistakable sincerity. The situation was quite plain.

It was like a sinful duet of Romeo and Juliet. One star would put its life on the line to save its lover that was falling from the sky; but when the shower would end, and the sun would rise…the star would slowly die from its lost mate, ripped apart by the anguish and guilt that would fill it until it burst into flames.


	20. An Assassin's Build

Silver and Scales

Chapter Twenty: An Assassin's Build

Loki led Vyperia by the hand into the armory.

It was a grand space that was decorated and furnished with shield, swords, crossbows, pole arms, axe staffs, and an entire arsenal of bows and arrows. The Asgardians were blessed with a natural talent of blacksmithing, as it was no surprise that the room was tempered and smelled of smoke, ash, and smelted metal ingots. The atmosphere was musty with fevered battle: the stench was of welding, metal upon metal like the fumes of a Midgardian gun-stripping factory. To any rookie, it was the smell that would glorify the heat of battle—to infuse them with the reality that it was in their design to fight.

It was an Asgardian's lust to engage in skirmishes, as it was the goal to die a glorious death.

Vyperia's main attribute was the skill of a stealth assassin. She was no barbarian brandishing a battleax like Volstagg, nor was she an astute femme fatale like Sif who came forward with full thrall while wielding a double-speared staff. She was far more useful on the outskirts of the battle field, picking off the sentries with deadly precision. She never missed her targets, and they usually died instantly.

Loki smiled, amused, as Vyperia gazed about the room in awe. She was neither frightened nor stunned at the wares of the armory. She was in admiration of the beauty that was around her. She loved a good fight as any other god—except hers usually came with no one the wiser. Aside from her snake-human morphing, Vyperia's abilities were far better put to use in the shadows, hidden from her targets so as to snipe them when their heads were turned.

He had retrieved several knives from a decorated chest—each dagger was made from the raw materials of five realms. Loki transferred Vyperia from her trance to wordlessly show her the knives that he held in his hand. Each was specifically different from the others.

All together there were Ebony, Elven, Glass, Steel, and Dwarven blades—each was a higher degree of decoration than the next.

Ebony was a slick, black knife. It was awkwardly jagged to make the pierced wound hurt more than it really should, given the heavy weight of its natural state.

The Elven blade, more akin to be used by those whom it was forged—the Dark Elves—was a distinctly pale moon-yellow, light and easily concealed by heavy armor. The body was more elaborated upon dexterity rather than the damage that it could do. It would not easily break as the steel, should it have been thrashed upon the sturdy body of the Destroyer.

Glass, much lighter than Elven, blades were nearly translucent. They were forged from the very stalagmites and stalactites of the inner caves of Jotunheim. They looked like crystals, blue and slick. While Glass was considerably more fragile than Elven, it was far more dangerous to be slit by if one was so unlucky to come across a warrior whose skill was proficient in the Icepick Grip. Loki happened to be one of the very few Asgardians who favored the Glass daggers, specifically _because_ he was very proficient with his use of such a feat.

As Loki handed the Glass dagger to Vyperia, who gazed upon the named weapons with interest, he smiled at her as the metal slipped into her hand with ease. Honestly, he had never felt more attracted to her as Loki saw the sudden light in her eyes spark. He didn't condemn her hidden blood lust. He merely observed it as if she had become this new warrior—awakened by his rule on Asgard—and now she craved war.

Loki held the last of the types of daggers in his hand, which was Dwarven. Dwarven was heavier than Ebony, and not as proficient as Elven metal—but the hue of a Dwarven dagger was so easily mistaken that the targets would mistake the damage points for the Elven sort. Dwarven metal had a higher damage base—merely being cut with such a metal would have the victim (or target, when in war) bleed instantly. It was much heavier, and therefore, it was far more resistant to armor.

"These are beautiful," Vyperia said softly.

Loki watched in admitted arousal as she ran the Glass dagger through her fingers.

"You favor this one, don't you?" said Vyperia, her eyes on the metal.

"Yes."

Vyperia looked at him. His eyes left her playful hand to meet her inquired ones. He found her interest in such war play to actually heady, a carnal-based turn on that seemed to cloud him for a moment before he spoke purposefully,

"It's…It's actually one of the first metals that I had the pleasure of wielding," Loki told her. He cleared his throat briefly before continuing. Vyperia smirked at him, recognizing the obvious look of desire. She didn't press it, though; merely, she watched him as if he was one of her teachers when she was in school.

"Mother always told me," Loki volunteered, "that a warrior is not measured by the strength of his arm or by the wit of his tongue. He is measured by his weapon."

"That sounds reasonable to me," remarked Vyperia. Her sly connotation didn't go unnoticed, for Loki glanced at her momentarily to spare her a serious look. She smirked, satisfied to know that he had heard her double-meaning. He pressed on.

"When we were first learning how to spar," he continued, "Mother explained that you use your strengths for yourself and your weakness against others, in order to lull them into a sense of security; but you always have the upper hand."

Loki withdrew the Elven, Steel, Ebony, and Dwarven knives from Vyperia's hand, leaving only the Glass dagger between her fingers. He stepped toward her, barely three inches apart from her. He set his hands on her shoulders.

"Your weakness right now is me," Loki told her, alluding to a lesson that his mother taught him.

"Oh, I believe you," she muttered, staring at him.

"Do you want to learn, or not?" Loki said testily.

"Yes, yes. I'll be serious. Sorry," Vyperia excused herself, though smirking still.

"All right…"

He looked at her for a brief moment. When she said nothing, he continued from where he had left off:

"I'm much taller than you are, so I would have the advantage. I'm stronger, so fighting me off would only ensure your certain death. However, you are more flexible, agile, and built for elusion—waiting for the opportune moment to strike."

Loki pulled the dagger from out of Vyperia's grasp.

"While you lack in brute strength, your skills make up for it with an assassin's build. You're harder to detect because you are smaller than the other Asgardian women—you can step where others would set off pressure plates or alert the sentries. This doesn't mean that your only output is to fight in the shadows.

"Turn around."

Vyperia didn't question him. She faced away from Loki; he didn't move. The dagger in his hand rose to her chin. The sharp tip didn't push pass the barrier along the end of her jaw, but it was enough pressure to know that if she pulled away from him, it could slit her throat without a fuss. Loki's other hand wrapped around her waist.

"My method is dangerous in the hands of an amateur," said Loki, his voice deep and hoarse in her voice. "It requires precision, speed, and the ability to make split-second decisions. You are very quick on your feet, Vyperia; you must use that to your advantage."

Vyperia turned her head to look at him. His eyes lowered to meet hers.

"Odin calls it the Icepick Grip." Loki told her. "It is fluent, and it is performed by manipulating the wrist. One move of this dagger could either paralyze you or kill you within five seconds."

Vyperia felt the blade leave her jaw. He fingered the dagger to place it in her hand.

He guided her wrist in a way to mock the way a handler would accomplish this maneuver.

"It delivers multiple cuts from a variety of angles," he told her; she could feel his breath on the crook of her neck. "Such flexibility makes it extremely dangerous to attempt to immobilize the wielder's hand by grasping the wrist. It could quickly circle around and do enough damage to tendons, nerves, and blood vessels. In this way," he told her, releasing her hand, "nobody will want to touch you."

"This is incredible," said Vyperia.

She turned to face him.

"It's an acquired skill. It doesn't take long to learn, Vyperia; but it does require practice. Any soldier could take a dagger and fling it sloppily over his head. It takes courage—and a little risk—to perform this feat."

"I guess it's a good thing that I have a little bit of both," Vyperia remarked.

"Yes…" Loki said lightly. "It is. I would say that you could practice with me; but it would prove a false determination, since I have no intention of killing you."

He smiled at her.

"In time, though, you will learn it all too quickly."

Vyperia pocketed the Glass dagger, smiling as well.


	21. Bedroom Talk

Silver and Scales

Chapter Twenty-One: Bedroom Talk

Vyperia seated herself along the edge of the bed as night fell upon Asgard.

Her corset clung to her breasts; she wore slick, black slacks—the thinness of them couldn't hide her legs from the slightest of breezes. Half-naked, her light armor lying on the floor where she had left it, Vyperia sat with her legs hanging off the side of the bed. She had been in the middle of dressing down in order to slip into her night gown until she had been momentarily distracted by the knife that had been cradled against her hip all day. Vyperia's fingers ran over the refined malachite; the moonlight that shined through the ever-massive window glinted off the blade, creating a small sliver of light to shine back on Vyperia's white face. She could see her reflection from within the glass. Her emerald eyes, as dark as evergreen trees, peered back at her; and she looked as if she was stuck in a trance.

She thought of Loki.

She thought of what he had said to her hours earlier, in the garden, when they had seemed to have fought just for a brief moment. Vyperia felt oddly irked by his words; however, at the same time, she was greatly touched.

Vyperia _would_ die for him; but would it be selfish to allow him that kindness? After discovering his true parentage, and quite possibly that Odin's paternal love was non-existent, and his life—not in shambles—but shattered but all was a lie, Loki could possibly _want_ to die. She could understand the jealousy that swam through his mind and the heartbreak that clung to his heart. Loki was the ruler of Asgard; but he never wanted the throne. Though, to take it all back would be destructive—the throne, the planet, the power…

Vyperia heard Loki say once before that he wanted to destroy Jotunheim. She only felt compelled to dissuade him because her duties implicated for her to do so. Vyperia felt nothing for the Frost Giants, only that she hoped Laufey still wanted Loki as a son. If he didn't, surely that would have the Jotun king a brilliant death, indeed.

The dagger slowly turned in Vyperia's hands. Her gaze shined back at her.

_My dear love,_ _what would you have me do?_

Her thought was so clear and concise. Was this not what she always asked herself when she was faced with an idea that was torn between her entitlement to guardianship and her devotion to Loki?

_Why would I choose some position that nobody believed that I deserve over my love for Loki? Who would choose duty over that kind of love? Is this not what I was meant to do? Could I leave all this behind if it meant an eternity at Loki's side?_

"Would you?"

Vyperia startled at the invasive voice that pulled her out of her thoughts. At first, she believed that the voice came from within her mind, as if it had been make-belief of her own conscience; but she turned to see Loki, standing under the frame of the bedroom. Light shined in from behind him, though it was quickly put out when he closed the door; his hand remained on the knob as he leaned back against it as it made a familiar soft _click_.

"Oh…" Vyperia sighed, turning away from him, relieved to know that she wasn't able to make up voices in her head.

However, Vyperia's eyes squinted in oncoming understanding. She glanced over her shoulder to see Loki's eyes penetrating her gaze of realization.

He read her mind. He could see her thoughts.

"I've been able to do so for a while now," Loki said calmly. He pushed his back from the door as he strode full-bodily into the spacious room, his eyes on her as she watched him warily. He grew accustomed to seeing surprise on her beautiful face, as he hoped that he would never cease to amaze her. Loki approached her. He sat down beside her. He wore the elegant cliché of leather and metal, though his helmet was absent from his armor.

"You have _many_ thoughts," Loki reported to her, a rogue smile on his handsome cheekbones. "Some are rational, logical, practical, and actually quite poetic. Some of them make me question whether or not that you are an Asgardian or if you are one of the hormone-driven, teenage Midgardians on Earth."

"A queen knows her place." Vyperia replied, knowing no other reply to give that was appropriate or relevant. Her eyes didn't meet his when she said this; they were drawn to the knife in her hands. When her gaze met the dagger's reflection, her stomach turned when instead, she saw the brilliant blue ones watching her.

Vyperia looked up at Loki; his gaze steadied upon the knife that was lovingly cradled in her hand.

"A queen knows when to speak when it is a formal occasion, appropriated by her guards and her common folk; and also"—his hand wrapped affectionately along her the back of her neck—"when she is in front of her husband, and the situation is calm and private."

Vyperia smiled.

"I never want you to think that I am capable of treachery," she said gently. "I am a goddess and my duties are prominent; but I am first and foremost yours to command. Well, don't you think that I could lay my life on the line _and_ you be the hero in my eyes?"

"Is that a riddle?" asked Loki playfully.

"I'm serious, Loki."

His hand left her. He rose to his feet. She watched him as Loki strode around to his side, shedding the armor that clung to his body. He said nothing as he did so, forestalling what would follow to be an argument of sacrifice. He pulled off the layers of his upper armor; pale flesh stood out from the rest of his covered body as he undressed.

"If you saved my life once, wouldn't that mean that if I saved yours, the debt is repaid?"

"With you and me, there is no such debt," Loki replied as he hung his armor in the wardrobe.

Vyperia repositioned herself on the mattress; one leg still hung over the edge of the bed while the other was tucked underneath her bottom. She held the dagger lazily in her hand, though her thumb stroked it with the attempt of keeping herself steady through their discussion: she felt the oncoming heat of irritation but arousal peaked tightly into her chest as Loki disrobed in front of her.

"With you and me," continued Loki calmly—though the expression on his face was self-evident of bottled annoyance, "is there no precise amount of sacrifice that I could make that you would only take as gratitude that I love you? Would you, if the situation called for it?

"The weight of the world falls upon Asgard; I would gladly bear it all if it meant that you would come to me late at night and readily welcome I in an open brace—free from toil.

"Why"—he turned to look at her, momentarily abandoning his undressing—"would you trade that to ease your guilty conscience?"

"Because I am your wife," Vyperia answered. "We act very much like a couple in heat; but I meant what I said when I agreed to marry you."

"All you said was 'yes', and that doesn't count what followed," Loki said, pointing at her. "Mother and Father have always shared the burden of the throne; and look how close Odin is to never recovering."

"If they didn't share the burden, he'd have died and gone to Valhalla," Vyperia replied. "Is it so impossible to think that I could bear it? Your problems, your enemies, your hatred or otherwise—I could help you bear it. If you let me," she added.

Loki looked at her.

"You fear something great. I don't pretend to hide that I know this. You fear that I shall have an ancient war descended upon Asgard because I want to show Father that I'm worthy of the throne…"

"Oh, for the good of Asgard, of course I fear that," retorted Vyperia. "I don't want to see you hurt. _That_ is what I truly fear."

Loki said nothing in return. He continued to undress. He pulled down his leather trousers, stripped down to his boxers. Loki wordlessly slipped into bed beside her. He sat against the headboard, gazing at her in concentration. His eyes searched hers.

"You hear me, but do you listen?" she asked him. "Loki, I know that I can be over-sentimental sometimes; but never mistake that for drama. I fear you when you become angry with me."

"I trust that; but I have read your mind when you drift into silence _when_ I'm angry with you," said Loki cockily, "and what I hear in your thoughts is something less frightening and something more that borders on arousal."

Vyperia's cheeks reddened.

"_Nevertheless_, it's true," she pressed on. "I honestly _am_ terrified when you become angry. You hide your pain before fury. You hide sadness behind it because anger is all that you know. You're so perceptive about everyone else but yourself."

He looked at her.

"Your mother has always said that to me, you know," Vyperia added with a smile. "Loki, God of Mischief. _'He can almost always tell when somebody is lying to him, but heaven forbid that he sees the little lies that he tells himself',_ is what she would say to me whenever you and I argued as children." Vyperia grinned. "It's true."

"Do you know what Mother says about you?" Loki replied kindly.

"Something nice, I hope," Vyperia inclined with a crooked smile.

"She tells me that you love me."

Vyperia nodded.

"Well, that should have been an obvious one," she replied, clearly disappointed that it wasn't something as analytic as Vyperia's little secret had been.

"This is something different," Loki told her. He sighed thoughtfully. "In fact, she tells me that every time that we have fought over something so insignificant. In a thousand years, it's unbelievable to know that you have never strayed from me. In all seriousness, I would have always imagined that you would have taken Thor first."

"Thor? _Why?_" Vyperia snorted.

Loki looked at her appreciatively, pleased to hear the denial and incredibility in her laugh.

"He impresses women alike with that hammer of his. The females who roam Midgard bow down to him after he summons some lightning and thunder; but do they know what real power is? No."

"Ooh, jealousy," teased Vyperia, smirking at him. "Real power…and you possess that, do you?"

"True power doesn't come from muscle and bone."

"Always brain over brawn," Vyperia stated summarily, gazing at him affectionately.

"Well, yes. If I assumed that my body was more powerful than the rest of me, I would be on Earth like Thor. Now what would that prove?"

"That even though you were stripped of your powers, you could probably still flog a tavern full of men." Vyperia said snidely.

Loki looked at her seriously.

"Now why would you say something like that?"

"Oh, please," scoffed Vyperia, sliding off the bed. She tossed the knife onto the mattress and rose to her feet. Her fingers hooked onto the waistline of her slacks before bringing them down to her ankles. "If I truly was attracted to your brother, do you think that I would have spent the last 980 years of my life with you?"

Loki looked at her as she stepped out of her slacks, tossing them aside.

"Quite frankly, no; but I'm certain that you would have given into your female-driven urges for at least _one_ night with me," Loki retorted, looking at her sarcastically. "Your aloofness is as transparent as the dagger that you cradled in your hand, Vyperia. It is so easy to see your lust. You couldn't cut your tension with a knife when you are around me."

Vyperia chuckled, though she didn't deny his accurate observation. She reached behind her to unfasten the laces of her corset; her fingers readily worked them with ease. Vyperia looked at him.

"It's obvious to know that you're still attracted to _me_ after all these years," she responded. "Since it's honesty hour here, I thought that you would have taken a fancy to Sif."

"The Goddess of War who makes play that she's as rough as the rock that we stand on but has the soft underbelly of a newborn lobster…" Loki said with little interest. "Sif is beautiful, in many ways than one, but her heart has _always_ belonged to my brother."

"She's a firecracker, what are you talking about?" remarked Vyperia, amused.

"Oh, you haven't seen the way that she used to look at him. It might be a little worse now since Thor's heart is clearly devoted to another."

Vyperia was cut off from her amused spectacle when he said the last. Loki smirked at her, noticing her sudden surprise.

"It's true," he assured her. "Heimdall reported to me after I asked how Thor was doing on Midgard. He seeks attention and understanding from a mortal, _a woman_."

"Thor has a found a woman on Earth who _clearly_ understands him?" muttered Vyperia. "Well, that's bizarre. With his arrogance putting him on a pedestal, I'm surprised that he could actually _speak_ to a Midgardian with the littlest of courtesy. They aren't the lowest forms of races that I have seen, mind you; but their ignorance has become astonishingly strong as the years go by."

Loki amused himself with her words.

"Mm. Do you know that they believe that there is a higher power that governs their way of life?"

"Their God?" Vyperia remarked.

She unfastened the last couple of laces of her corset and drew the bodice from her body. She made a small sound of relief as I came away from her stomach. Muscle flexed along her the light ridges of her; the distinct push and pull around her ribs could easily be recognized as years of practical exercise. Her breasts were relieved from their material prison. She slid into bed beside Loki, drawing the covers over her half-naked body. She still wore her panties along her hairless midriff.

"_A_ God," answered Loki.

"Like us?"

"No, something 'stronger' than us."

"You know," Vyperia said, entertaining the idea, "if we told them the truth about their God—whether he is real or if he's some fable that the first man made up—do you think that it would improve their lives or just worsen them?"

Loki smiled.

"Even to a god like me, that's cruel," Loki told her, though he smiled at the notion.

Vyperia made a small laugh.

The silence that fell over them was nurturing and comfortable. Loki lay down beside her, pulling the blankets over his body.

"Would you have me if I was a Midgardian woman?"

"In what context?"

"In the context that if I looked the same as I did, and you knew everything about me—like now—but instead of an Asgardian heritage, I was born from the first Man and Woman of the Garden of Eden, would you have me then?"

"If I knew everything about you, if you loved me as I love you now, I would," Loki told her with a handsome smile.

"Would you have me now, if I was cast out like Thor?"

"Why would that change anything?"

She smiled, touched.

"Of course," Vyperia added with a smirk, "I would have _you_ if you were a Midgardian man too."

"I don't think that you would have much a choice," Loki humored her.

"Why is that?"

"You would know everything about me; and so you would think of me in your bed. It would drive you mad." Loki told Vyperia, facing her. "As it would, me."

"How can you be so romantic whenever the situation calls for it?" said Vyperia, feeling her heart melt from his words.

"It's part of architecture," said Loki. "Or perhaps the effect only has that impact on you."

Vyperia scooted toward him to wrap her arms around his waist. His hands fell upon her naked hips, pulling her close.

"Your silver tongue hasn't lost its touch, my lord."


	22. Curves

Silver and Scales

Chapter Twenty-Two: Curves

Loki traced the curve of Vyperia's body with a finger—from the back of her shoulder, along the dip from her breast and her hip, to the bump of her buttocks, and down the back of her thigh. The gentle touch stirred Vyperia from her noiseless sleep. Loki cradled her in his arms, her back pressed gently against his chest. Vyperia's eyes remained closed, though a subtle smile appeared on her lips as he redrew the line down her body: her shoulder, breast, hip, waist, and down the end of her spine. His hand held fast along the beginning elastic line of her underwear and dipped over to her stomach. He felt the familiar muscle beneath his fingers; she flexed involuntarily. Loki smirked to himself as Vyperia moved beneath him.

Vyperia exhaled slowly.

Loki placed his mouth along the crook of her neck.

"I know that you are awake. Your mind races," he told her.

She didn't respond, but the tension in the room settled heavy in the air. She could hear his voice and feel his delicate fingers touch lightly along her half-naked body. The contact was romantic and seductive, difficult to resist. _He_ was difficult to resist.

His lips met her neck with a butterfly kiss—precious, sweet, but hidden with a means to lull her into his embrace. Vyperia's breathing quickened; her abdomen tensed beneath his fingers once more. She was consumed with lust, and she tried always to desperately hide it; but her mind could not block him from knowing it. Her body betrayed the will to refuse; she would always fall before him like a meek mortal.

"You know me so well, don't you?" she said into the still silence.

Loki uttered a noise of confirmation. She took gracious pleasure from his small acknowledgment. His lips continued to kiss her neck—soft, naked kisses upon her tender flesh. His fingers pulled her close to his waist, her body trapped between the delicate contact of his hand and the stiff muscle that flexed in his lean core.

"We are like animals in heat, you and I," Vyperia whispered breathlessly; she felt her heart pounding in her chest as he showered her with kisses—each more tender, more slick with seduction than the next.

A warm pool of lust formed in the bottomless pit of her stomach, ever burning and always hot with need. Her toes curled in delicious torment when Vyperia felt Loki's tongue politely lick the connective tissue between her neck and shoulder.

"Animals have no purpose to lull their mates into desperate need, pet," he allured to her in a deep, rolling voice—the same erotic tone that could be switched on and off whenever the situation called for it. Vyperia's eyes closed as his lips moved against the back of her shoulder as he spoke,

"And why not have a bit of fun? Would you have me stop?"

He didn't seek an answer from her. Rather, Loki's dipped between her legs. _That_ was his answer. Barely inaudible, just a breath of a beautiful noise—but Loki heard his queen moan softly as his hand cupped her clothed arousal. He could feel the obvious evidence in her panties.

"Look at me," he said steadily.

Vyperia turned her head to meet his eyes. He was pleased to see that her gaze was heady and glossy. He rewarded her obedience with a passionate kiss. He intruded her mouth with a quick tongue; Vyperia inhaled sharply as if she had been doused with cold water.

She met his kiss with bottled ferocity. Loki released a small moan into her mouth. Her tongue was athletic, unbridled by passion and wanton tension. Vyperia's kiss was a drug to him. He taunted her body with his touch, knowing very well that her orgasms came so easily by his hands—even if he never disrobed, this was her greatest weakness. Loki, however, felt himself slowly come unhinged from her lips, her tongue, and such bottled need. While it was evident that he would never refuse to bed Vyperia, he could take simple pleasures from her kiss.

Vyperia's hand flew from her side to entangle her fingers in his hair, deepening the kiss from her angle. He moaned as he felt her fingers pull his head back.

From his fingertips, lightly grazing the outer material of her cotton panties, he felt renewed warmth against his hand.

Just the sound of his approval was enough to have her ready for any intimate act, and he felt empowered by this.

Loki broke the kiss, pulling out of her coils. Their breathing came heavy. Vyperia smiled at him, knowing all too well about his lip-synced weakness. Her teeth shined bright against the moonlight that reflected off her body.

"Animals in heat—no," Loki told her, "We are gods without restriction."

"Restraint is what I like," she returned.

Vyperia set her head back on the pillow, faced away from him. He pondered her words swiftly. His lips curved into a scheming smile. He placed his lips against the shell of her ear,

"I have a bargain."

"Ooh," Vyperia muttered with peaked interest. "What is your deal, my lord?"

Loki's fingers weaved light circles along the gentle lines of her underwear. He felt her muscles tense beneath his fingertips, but she uttered not a word.

"Restraint," he told her, "is your greatest weakness. You can only hold out for so long, my pet; and I can break you."

"Is this your little _test_?" she returned, though even as she spoke, she felt moisture gush between her legs as his fingers pranced along the damp length of her cotton panties. Loki's lips grazed the underside the soft skin of her neck.

Loki's grin widened.

She loved to play the game that was full of rules—restraint and refusal were coined playful and hot factors. However, as much as she would always abide by those rules, he would eventually have her succumb—and she would writhe in sweet bliss. The suspense, the pleading, and the overall torment that he would place on her would have her crawling to him every time. Vyperia was competitive, but she would gladly have him win every game.

"If you," whispered Loki slyly against her prickled flesh, "can resist my touch—which right now, you're doing a _marvelous_ job at doing that"—his voice was dripping with sarcasm as he prodded with intention against the line of her panties (she moved against him with difficulty)—"then you can claim your prize."

"Sounds like fun," she retorted weakly.

"If you win, if you refuse to come to me in the end," said Loki quietly, "then our roles switch; and I can play your game…"

Vyperia smirked at his last line. Loki matched it as he saw the recognizable taste upon her lips. _It was a very good idea._

"However," sighed Loki, "I think that we both know who will end up on top tonight. What your body won't tell me," he added, "your mind will."

"Mm, that's cheating."

"It's my game, my rules…" Loki said to her.

Vyperia smiled in despite of this.

Without another word, Loki's hand hooked beneath the waistline of her panties and dipped below to cup her naked flesh in the warmth of his hand. Loki smirked as Vyperia's legs twitched against his body, and he felt renewed arousal pass through her walls. His hand was slick with her fluids. Vyperia uttered a small whimper.

"Are you sure that you want to make good on your word?" he taunted her playfully.

"Mmm…" her answer was nothing more than a well-placed moan from his benevolent fingers, caressing her hairless mound of nerves as if she were an irritated cat.

His thumb strayed from her slick folds to roll over her clit. Vyperia's hands came to the sheets in front of her, threading her aching fingers into tight fists. The light touch ignited a roaring fire between her legs. A delighted squeal of arousal pulled from her lips.

Loki chuckled, pleased.

"Sit up, pet."

Loki shifted on the mattress to lean his back against the headboard. Vyperia followed his measures. Her back gently pressed against him; her knees bent accordingly to his hand poised between her legs. Loki sat next to her to better see his ministrations upon her body. While one was occupied between her heated core, his other hand lightly grazed the column of her pale-skinned neck. Vyperia set her head against his shoulder.

"Isn't this better?" he asked her, his voice slick with mockery.

"I think that you're manipulating this game to your advantage, Loki," Vyperia remarked with veiled lust, though an apparent grin was on her face. Her green eyes opened to flash a glossy look at him.

While her tone was vibrant with the sense of being pulled into his torturous game, he could tell that she was enjoying herself all the more as he assaulted her with his fingers.

Her focus rested on his touch, ever inviting him in as she spread her legs to better accommodate the fire roaring in the pit of her body; however, he did nothing to satisfy the ache that steadily pained her. Loki guided his middle finger along the swelled opening of her heated sex, ever playful and provocative. Her breathing came with difficulty, torn between anticipation and the yearning to resist him. Loki watched her fingers dig into the heels of her palms, holding onto a small amount of patience and control that was still left in her spirit.

Her will to resist any sort of torture was actually impressive. If an army could capture her and torture her for hours with pain, she could never succumb to such threats. However, Loki knew that her weakness was—and always had been—the lightest of petty torments. Bashing her across the head, breaking her fingers—that was child's play. Vyperia was the goddess of guardianship: one would throw her into an ocean of carnivorous sharks and she'd never quake from the loyalty of children or those whom she loved.

Her weakness was not pain.

It was this. It was desire, ache, want, and need.

Her weakness was Loki.

"Your restraint is formidable, Darling," Loki told her, "but how long do you think that you can resist? I can feel your body tense, and I barely have to touch you."

"You speak because you know that I like to hear you talk during," Vyperia remarked. "Why do I feel like you've challenged me to this only to see me fail?"

"Do you think that I started our little game because I like to see you writhe against me because you want me, pet?" he asked her with the faintest of sardonic wit.

She uttered a gentle scoff, knowing that he was sarcastic by nature.

"You're a schemer, Loki," she replied. "You always have a plan…"

His thumb stroked her clit, causing a deliberate friction against her body. His strayed middle finger felt the familiar tensed flex of her sensitive muscles, and he smiled against her neck.

"I like to see you this way," he drawled.

Vyperia uttered a small moan as his middle finger slid up and down against her entrance; but never did he pass her threshold. Her head fell back against his shoulder. Her lips parted in pleasurable anguish.

While her hips never succumbed to meet his appealing fingers, her chest rose as her back arched—her dire need searched for another outlet. Vyperia bit her bottom lip to sequester a pleading moan. It emitted from her anyway, causing Loki's stomach to churn in prideful approval. Even as he saw her slowly become unhinged, Loki's arousal grew apparent. Hearing her softly call out to him, seeing his mannerisms gently quake over her face…Loki understood this from the beginning that fighting his own desires would be difficult.

He was certain that he could have her crying out to him in desperation before he could plummet to his own urges.

"You ache," he told her, his words quivering on his breath as his erection prodded against her thigh. "I ask you: do you succumb?"

"No…" Vyperia hissed, smiling as she felt his growing arousal along the side of her leg. "You ache for me as well…"

Loki kissed her neck.

"I always do."

Vyperia uttered a wanton cry upon hearing him speak with such honest lust; Loki smirked as he felt renewed warmth cloud his prodding fingers.

Loki hooked his fingers along the line of her underwear,

"Take them off."

Vyperia didn't question him; she obeyed his order. He watched her numbly remove her panties from her thighs. Even watching her made him throb against his boxers as she unceremoniously tossed them over the bed on her side. While she had come fully undressed, he did the same. Both naked upon the sheets, Loki reached for the blankets to cover their lower extremities as the night began to grow cold.

Vyperia's fingers stroked his erection with the lightest of grace, merely to point out the fact that he yearned to have his own urges released. Vyperia resumed her position against him as they had been previously; although, now, Loki was resisting the desperate urge to bend her over on her hands and knees and take her then and there. He emitted a shaky sigh before setting his fingers along her slick opening.

The coy smile on Vyperia vanished to an expression of primal need.

"You're doing better than the last time we played," said Loki considerately.

"It's not easy," she muttered, her eyes pinched closed.

"You can always give in like last time," he suggested.

The idea had crossed Vyperia's mind, but she didn't relent to it. She shook her head slowly.

"Very well…"

Loki held fast to her left thigh, securing her in case she should become reckless.

Without much more suspense, Loki slid his middle finger through her slick folds. Her hips bucked to his slight movement.

"Ah!" Vyperia's cry was sudden—He stopped her legs from closing, as was her natural instinct whenever she felt immense pleasure. Vyperia's muscles had tightened and tensed around his finger.

"Easy, pet," he cooed against her ear. "Remember our little game…"

"I remember," she replied forcefully through clenched teeth.

"I'm not so sure that you do."

She lay still, poised vulnerably at his clutches. She was hot to the touch, slick against his fingers. Vyperia uttered soft moans as he continued his intrusion, sending sparks through her body. Loki slowly pumped his finger into her, and her walls clenched and unclenched around him. She wriggled restlessly within his grasp.

"I know that you are just beyond the brink of relenting, Vyperia. You're barely holding on…"

"I'm still holding on, though," Vyperia growled, though even as she said this with forceful conviction, she felt her need grow tirelessly painful.

Loki's brow furrowed as he himself began to feel the repercussions of their contest. His erection throbbed against her leg. Vyperia moaned as his Loki prodded her walls; when she silenced, he added a second finger—it spurred her on. Vyperia uttered a stream of squeals, as he pumped his fingers into her quickly. Her hips answered his fast thrusts. Vyperia opened her mouth to let out a reckless moan.

"Oh…Loki…"

"You're close, pet; do you still want to fight me?" he asked her in a rough voice. "I can give you what you need."

"Ah!"

Vyperia bucked her hips against his fingers.

"Please, Loki, _please._"

"Tell me that you relent, and I'll give you what you need."

Vyperia growled under her breath.

Loki was taken by surprise as she turned around, pulling away from his grasp—she straddled his hips. Her hands seized his wrists and pinned them roughly over his head. He was stunned at first then he moaned her name as she mounted him.

Vyperia's hips rocked against him. Her slick walls invited him in fully. His throbbing erection met the warmth of her body as she cradled him inside her; Vyperia moaned in gratified pleasure.

Loki's face contorted to visible pleasure. His head fell against the headboard as she rode his erection, her pelvis thrusting along his full prostate with talent and mirth.

"This wasn't part of our game," he growled.

"It's _your_ game," she hissed, "but you're _mine_."

Vyperia's released his wrists as she slowly became unbalanced with passion. She had to use his shoulders to gain the needed support. Loki took hold of her beautiful hips, pulling her down on him with rough thrusts up into her wet opening. She moaned loudly as he drove her to ecstasy.

"Yes!" Vyperia pled aloud as her pace quickened. "Ah! Mmm…"

Loki felt his tension rise, knowing that he was approaching climax. Vyperia didn't seem too far behind him. He grabbed her roughly around her bottom and fought her to her back. She peered up at him, taken by pleasant surprise.

"Ooh, a dominant king," she relished, smirking at him.

Loki pulled her legs around him, sliding back inside her without a moment to spare. He groaned as her thighs constricted shut and her legs coiled around his waist.

"Oh, god, yes," Vyperia moaned. "Oh." She chuckled with maddened lust on her tongue.

Loki drew deeper into her—

Vyperia cried out as he hit her sweet spot with brutal force. Her back arched up against him. He didn't let her soothe out her oncoming orgasm. Instead, he pounded faster and harder. Her moans were loud.

Surely the guards would hear her.

"Scream, pet," Loki hissed at her. "So the world will know that you belong to _me._"

Loki took her wrists into his hands and pinned her arms on either side of her head. As she was put into a vulnerable, helpless state, this merely increased her arousal tenfold. Vyperia wriggled beneath him.

"Yes! Yes! Ah!"

Then her back seized. Loki winced as her walls closed hard around him as her orgasm hit hard. Vyperia's breath hitched as she gasped for air, succumbing to its dire ache. Loki leaned forward as her vice-like grip purged him into climax. His seed spilled into her.

He collapsed on top of her. Vyperia still felt the aftershock of such a release.

They panted in the silence of the room. Vyperia smiled weakly as Loki rolled off her to lie on his back.

"Okay…" she managed with difficulty. "You win…"

Loki smiled that handsome smile, alight with charm.

"That's right," he told her breathlessly.


	23. Read My Mind

Silver and Scales

Chapter Twenty-Three: Read My Mind

The warmth between Vyperia and Loki's naked bodies provided the additional comfort after what had transpired between them only an hour ago. The feverish enthusiasm that had possessed them earlier had slowly washed out from the outbreak of passion; and now there, in bed, they relaxed in the cool atmosphere of affection and charm. Relaxation hung steadily in the air.

Vyperia's head was cradled in the crook of Loki's neck; her arms were wrapped around his waist as if he would evaporate in her hold. She clung to him with a smile on her face, immersed in tranquility, undisturbed. As Vyperia held him close to her body, Loki's arm draped a protective arm around her body for equal measure. His unoccupied hand stroked Vyperia's wrist fondly.

Along Loki's chin and jaw line, Vyperia's eyes lingered on his still facial features. She gazed at him in endless longing, as if he were an idol that she had adulated since she had laid eyes on him on the battlefield.

In her eyes, and in her heart, he might as well have been a god—even if he was a mortal man.

Soothing breaths came from Loki's mouth as he embraced her. He was awake, but he merely rested there. His eyes didn't quake, though it appeared that he would be lost in thought. Vyperia was looking at him long enough to make these small notes. Finally, she broke the silence with a low and vacant whisper. She was careful to not disrupt him so abruptly in case he was in a deep conclusion of some grand puzzle.

"You can read my mind, Loki."

"I always have been able to do so." Loki answered with a low octave of his own. She smiled adorably when she saw his mouth move as he spoke. The smallest of things could make her heart flutter. His voice was hypnotic, mesmerizing, and in every way pleasant. He didn't open his eyes upon reply, though it was noticeable that his attention was focused on her.

"How long, exactly, have you been able to hear my thoughts while I am in your presence?" Vyperia questioned, merely out of curiosity.

Feeling her stir beside him, Loki's eyes opened; he turned his head to meet her curious gaze in an amused regard. She shifted in order to accomplish the angles of their heads. Her tight embrace around his frame loosened, and she sat up in order to ready for his answer. She didn't know whether his reply would be one of amusement or if he suspected her of a hidden treason.

"You're intrigued and curious by nature," he told her, calming her anticipated stomach tension. "In these last few days, I have learned that you are always willing to learn something new; and we do every day."

He accommodated Vyperia's bated breath with a smile.

"Lie back down," he gestured for her to resume their original positions.

Vyperia hesitated. Loki smiled at her serenely, with no sign of becoming irritated at her. She complied when he opened his arm to her in an inviting gesture. Loki pulled her close by his side, enveloping his arm around her naked hips. Her bare breasts pressed generously against his chest, and he smiled at her warm touch. Vyperia sighed in reassured relief. His protective hand embraced her into a comforting hold.

He could be romantic and very protective when the situation was called for it; he could be charming and persuasive when Loki needed her to do something for his own benefit. Loki could terrify and intimidate her if he found the situation so desired. Never, though, would Vyperia doubt that he loved her.

She found it very heartening that Loki held her so close like this. He was a gentle husband in this situation.

While Vyperia would love the controlling, dominant, and taunting rogue under the sheets; she found that her soothing, reasonable, proud, and admirable king was to be profoundly appealing as well.

Vyperia smiled as she huddled against him.

She would never in her life find anybody like him.

"You asked me," Loki replied gently, "for how long _exactly_ have I been able to read your thoughts Vyperia? I have been able to do this _since_ the battle of Nifleheim. I usually don't intrude on your thoughts; mainly for the reason that I have little reason to do so."

"Why have you not told me that you were able to do that?"

"It bore little importance during our courtship."

"So you knew, then, about my feelings for you?"

"Yes." Loki answered, grinning to himself.

Vyperia looked at him. She wasn't angry, but she was shocked.

"How could you be so sure that I wanted something like a secret courtship," asked Vyperia softly, "to blossom into an affair?"

"I didn't have to read your mind to know that you had fallen in love with me." Loki replied, meeting her queried eyes.

"Am I that easy to read?" remarked Vyperia.

Loki uttered a small chuckle. Vyperia's voice started to rise in a manner that bore signs of one becoming insulted. His laugh, however, faltered the beginning of smolder on her face. She stared at him, puzzled.

"What is so funny? That my mind is an open book? That any person who knows me can clearly read all the secrets that run through my head and know exactly what I'm thinking? That's…intrusive. That's…violating…"

"You're wrong," said Loki, smirking at her.

He found it amusing that she had become rambunctious.

Loki met her eyes.

"I didn't read your thoughts when I courted you. I haven't found the need to do so since we started to see other. I don't have to _intrude,_ as you put it so blatantly, into your thoughts because your face tells me all that I need to know."

"You're putting me in a bad light, Loki," said Vyperia, flushed.

Loki shook his head.

He placed a hand beneath the ended line of her chin to caress her jaw affectionately. Vyperia felt her heart pound against her chest, quickened by the gaze in his eyes that summarily melted hers. He could play her like a harp, like his very own puppet. Loki guided her lips to meet his in a sweet kiss. Her flushed cheeks paled then turned an embarrassed pink.

She felt her hands numb.

"Vyperia," he told her tenderly, "I didn't have to read your thoughts because you express your heart through your eyes. If a man should ever question his lover's feelings, he needs only to look into her eyes."

"You see me every day," Vyperia remarked. "You look at me no differently."

Loki grinned.

"I don't," he said with a small smirk. "_You _look at _me_."

She smiled, grasping his meaning.

He found her beautiful to look at, and he would look upon her for an eternity. It was easy to see her heart, for _he_ was always there.

Vyperia blushed.

Her eyes were the portals to her soul. Was he ever not present there? He could entrance her, charm her, and would she not always gaze at him in this way—that look of longing—her passion that never vanished even when she feared or loved him? He could read her thoughts because her emotions were steadily high in her eyes; and she always looked at him lovingly.

"And it's not in just my presence that I can hear your thoughts racing," Loki added in the silence. "I can hear you when you are apart from me. They echo in my mind when I wish to listen. It doesn't surprise me to know that, in my absence, you quake and tremble."

"Quake and tremble, do I?" repeated Vyperia in polite amusement. "Am I so dependent on your affections that I should long for you in your absence?"

Her hand trailed delicately soothing lines from his neck to his waistline.

"Do your thoughts become hazy and complicated when you are apart from me as well?" asked Vyperia with a smile. "How could I possibly know that unless I, too, read your mind?"

"I would know that you did," answered Loki.

He collapsed his hand upon her roaming fingers. Their interlocked fingers stilled upon his heart. Vyperia met his eyes.

"You are always in my mind," Loki told her, "and never doubt that you are."

"You are in mine," replied Vyperia.

"How can you play coy with me?" Loki said seriously, seeing the mocking smile playing on her lips. "When I am sincere, how can you tease me with your eyes?"

"Tease you? I am still stunned that all this time, you have been able to read me like a book. I thought that I was enigmatic," explained Vyperia. "I am less a mystery to you than the Man's invention of a kitchen utensil."

"When I say that you linger in my thoughts, I mean it the most affectionate of ways, Vyperia." Loki told her seriously. "Where you lie, where you stand, where you sleep, where you sit—I can always find you, but isn't there a good reason _why_ I have searched for you when we are apart? You ache for me, but I ache for you too."

Vyperia stared at him, pleased.

"Your honesty is…" Vyperia searched for the better of words. "It's beautiful, but I don't think that you have ever elated such truer words than these. Are you afraid that you will lose me if you do not come forth with the truth? Is that why you are forward?"

Loki shook his head.

"The last time that I was spoken the truth, I was told a lie. Look at the damage that it has done."

"If you can read my mind, surely you must know that I mean it in the strongest way possible that I think that you are not damaged." Vyperia said candidly.

He looked at her with an off-standing glance, as if she had said something that was entirely off the books. She spoke as if he had called himself a monster.

"Why are so quick to tell me that I am an Asgardian, Vyperia?" asked Loki seriously. "Why are you fast to tell me that I am not flawed like the rest of you?"

"You are not flawed, not to me," answered Vyperia. "You are the same to me as you were a week ago. You have changed for the better, for the best. What you are makes no difference. It's who you are that matters to me, and you _haven't_ changed."

"I haven't changed…?"

Vyperia stared at him. She had misspoken.

Loki pulled his arms away from her and sat up against the headboard. She became untangled from his comfortable embrace and now laid emptiness. He looked at her, clearly unhappy with her words. Vyperia pulled the blankets up to her chest, attempting to hide her vulnerability and fear from the covers. She bit her lip, anticipating the shocking anger that would come about his line of conversation.

"_I_ haven't changed?" he repeated coldly. "I have changed, and it has made this place a better rule and a better planet _because_ I have changed. I am not the complacent brother as I once was. I am _king!_"

The word was venom on his tongue. His voice had deepened and became hoarse with simmering anger. She winced at his tone.

"Thor is gone," said Loki irritably, "and I have taken over the throne to satisfy the rule of Asgard. Where would we all be if it weren't for me? The damage that Thor has caused is near irreparable, and I have made it so the rest of my people can lie down in the shade and wary not for the dangers in Jotunheim. I have changed, and it's for the better, where would we all be? _Where would you be?"_

Vyperia stared at him, stunned.

"I meant no disrespect."

"I could read it in your face that you looked upon me as if I have branded myself a monster."

"_I don't think that you are monster,_" snapped Vyperia. "If I did, would I have not left you the _moment_ that I saw your skin blue in Jotunheim, Loki? Would I have not left your side immediately if I feared you when I learned years and years ago that you were one of them? If I cared about your parentage, why would I be in your bed right now? What purpose would that solve?"

"Your purpose would be for your own," Loki retorted. "You would call yourself an Asgardian; and would you turn your sights on Thor?"

"_What?_" Vyperia exclaimed incredulously.

Loki and Vyperia sat in their bed, arguing.

Loki's eyes smoldered as he stared at her angrily. Vyperia searched his eyes. Then her gaze fell to him with smitten understanding. Loki looked at her as if their sights battled for some contest, for some understanding.

Vyperia sighed knowingly.

"You speak the truth," said Vyperia slowly, "because you fear that you will lose me?"

Loki glowered at her.

"You fear that by some spell, that if your brother should return…you will lose me?" Vyperia clarified. "You're jealous."

"I'm not jealous."

"You _are_ envious of Thor, but why would you ever think that I would suddenly ache for him when you have always been the target of my affections? Why would you think that?"

"I have seen your mind when he battled in Jotunheim. I have heard what they say about him." He paused to compose what breath he still had in his lungs. "A Frost Giant on the throne of Asgard…Would it not be a better suit for you to have the son of Odin as king and you, a goddess, as his queen? Wouldn't that serve your purpose?"

"I have no purpose." Vyperia consented. "Why would I ever have your brother in place of you? Your lies, your mischief—they _are_ you. Thor is but a warrior. You were _made_ to be king."

Loki stared at her.

Vyperia smiled at him.

"My thoughts for Thor are merely swift and sure. He is handsome; he is a god. You are, too, but you have _always_ been the god who appears in my dreams late at night. Should I sacrifice my loyalty to you for a place on the throne? And when you are gone by some misunderstood reason, do you think that I would lavish my seat of Asgard if you weren't there to enjoy it with me?

"My love," Vyperia said empathetically, "you are my king. You have always been my king in my eyes; and I love you."

Loki met her gaze. He sighed in an outward release, grasping the strength of her words.

"Oh, Vyperia…"

His words were an echo, though he said nothing from his mouth. Vyperia stared at him, stunned, as she heard his voice in her mind.

"_Vyperia, I'm sorry._"

He met her eyes.

"_Do you forgive me?"_

His mouth made no motion, but his words were clear as day in her head. She smiled, realizing that this was what he had been doing for years. She could hear his thoughts. Loki smiled at her slowly, as he knowingly understood what she had realized.

"_Yes,_" she returned with her mind. "_Yes—"_

"I forgive you," Vyperia said aloud.


	24. Not Another Word

Silver and Scales

_A/N: As much as I love writing smut scenes, I love these tender moments. _

Chapter Twenty-Four: Not Another Word

It stayed silent in the room as Loki and Vyperia lay in bed side-by-side, cradled in each other's arms. While not a sound was made in the stillness, their thoughts were one in the same. It was a connected link between them, a gift that Loki had permitted for her to peer into his mind. Vyperia rested her head on his chest, listening to the soft breaths that sighed from his lips; his hand affectionately stroked the length of her naked shoulder to her forearm. Such broad strokes merely stoked the burning sensations in the pit of her stomach; but they were municipal finger brushes—light, tender, and non-compliant to a burning lust.

While the quiet was heavy in the air, words rushed beneath the silence…in their heads.

_Hear me softly among the branches of your mind,_ Loki's words echoed through her cerebral chambers. It was a beautiful sound. _Ever have you heard me speak into your ears late at night and me not be present; that was me. Have you recalled those lonely nights in your bedroom where we could not meet?_

Vyperia smiled.

_I remember,_ she answered his thoughtful waves.

In his ears, Loki heard her voice—it was a gentle roll of a feminine, low caress. He had savored her words from her mouth many a time. As he listened to her telepathic drawl, he found her psychic connection to be increasingly alluring, perhaps better than any burning kiss from her wanton lips.

_I remember a night, _she continued gently,_ when I lay alone in my bed, and heard your voice lull me to sleep with soothing whispers. Was that you, too, who put lucid dreams in my head to calm my tempered urges?_

_It was I who put those racing images in your mind from the beginning,_ answered Loki honestly, slyly._ How could I possible resist the temptation of doing so?_

_You could not,_ remarked Vyperia with a smile on her face.

_I have always heard you after the sun fell, _Loki reminisced. _When the moon rose over Asgard and the clouds were non-existent, your thoughts raced from philosophical inquiries to imaginative theories. So curious and adventurous you are, and you crave new knowledge. _

Loki's hand from her arm passed its pacing threshold to cradle sweetly the line of her prominent chin. Vyperia didn't fight his fingers; she looked up at him with a sweet smile on her face. He met her eyes.

"Your inquisition," said Loki dotingly, "has always fascinated me."

"Fascination for a goddess? I have something stronger for you," Vyperia retorted fondly.

"I know."

"Do you?" asked Vyperia playfully.

"I do," Loki answered.

Vyperia gazed at him as if a cold heart had been melted by a healing stone. Her eyes brightened as he looked at her with tendered affection. She bit her bottom lip.

"You would lie down your life on the line if it meant eternal happiness for me," said Loki, breaking the momentary silence. "Wouldn't you, Darling?"

"My life, my soul, and every drop of my blood. You told me never to do so," replied Vyperia.

"But you would do it anyway," Loki summarized without malice or contempt.

"Of course, I would." Vyperia remarked faithfully. "Should I be named queen if I was frightened to guard my king? I should be called a traitor if I denied you. You _are_ my life. Is that so hard to understand?"

"You mean a great deal to me even if sometimes I do not show it." Loki told her gently.

"You speak as if you will lament my future passing." Vyperia placed her hand over his which fondled her jaw line. Her fingers held Loki's hand and guided it to her naked left breast. His eyes left her gaze to follow a meaningful gesture.

"I have always told you," said Vyperia, "_never_ to doubt my loyalty."

"I've learned in the last week that it is foolish to think anything less." Loki replied. "What would turn your face from me? What _would_ have your loyalties tarnish and turn your back to me?"

"Are these insecurities?" asked Vyperia curiously. "Darling, look at me."

Loki met her eyes slowly.

"Nothing…" she said with a voice just above a whisper. "_Nothing…_would ever make me turn against you. Why," she asked with a candid purr, "_why _can't you trust me with that? Have I done something to make you doubt me? Have I wounded your belief in me? What have do I _have_ to do to trust me unconditionally?"

Vyperia's eyes searched his somber gaze.

"Have you begun to mistrust me after I confessed that you are a Jotun?" asked Vyperia softly. Her stomach panged with guilt, realizing it. "Has that admittance shattered the foundation that our love was founded upon years ago?"

He sighed.

"I want to trust you," said Loki quietly. "I love you, and never doubt that I do. Things can never be as they were…"

"That's not true," said Vyperia compassionately. "I _never_ meant to hurt you…"

"No one really does," said Loki, meeting her eyes. "Time cannot undo what has been done."

"Shall I try to erase what has happened? Should I learn from you how to stand the test of time?" Vyperia stated calmly, though her words were flaked with sadness and passive sarcasm. "What should I do in order to gain that trust? Should I wander into Jotunheim and beg for them to take you back as their equal when they, too, had abandoned you as a baby?"

At the last, Loki looked at her with unmistakable irritation.

His hands left her body. Loki sat up in bed. His affectionate touch was withdrawn from Vyperia. She drew the blankets around her naked flesh, huddling in the warmth of the sheets that Loki had sequestered from her.

"I didn't mean what I said," muttered Vyperia apologetically, as she saw the agitation on Loki's face. "I'm sorry."

He leaned his head against the headboard in contemplation. Her tender apology didn't ease the situation. Vyperia bit her lip, mentally kicking herself in the face as she recalled her insult to his child-like need for acceptance and approval.

"I didn't mean it," she reiterated. "Loki…"

"Say nothing more…"

"Darling—"

Loki raised a finger to her without making any motion to look at her.

"Not another word."

Vyperia bit her lip, guilt-ridden.

Her stomach turned uncomfortably, hating herself for what she had said. Loki wordlessly slid out of bed. Vyperia lowered her gaze from him to stare at her hands that tangled in the sheets. He made quiet movements beside her as he dressed into his casual robes. Vyperia closed her eyes. Loki strode around the bed to head for the door. He said nothing as he took the golden handle and slammed it shut behind him.


	25. My Passion Echoes Off the Walls

Silver and Scales

Chapter Twenty-Five: My Passion Echoes off the Walls

The sensation of having a god enter one's mind, the feeling of having an intruder invade one's thoughts was similar to the paranoid phenomenon of having somebody stare into the back of a man's head. It was what Midgardian men and women could compare to the awareness of having somebody staring at them—though, when eyes would fixate on the suspect who would be glaring into the back of their head, the suspect would be reading a book or gazing out the window. It was the faintest of consciousness. Any long-term prying could result in the target or victim to become skittish, very aware that their inner thoughts—the inner workings of their brains—were being excavated and shuffled around like pieces of a puzzle or pages of a book. It was the minor branch of magic, a psychic abilities learned by the slightest accomplished sorcerers and the specialized selection of mortals.

Vyperia sat in Loki's bed, crumpled into a small heap of a pool of self-loathing. She scorned herself for being so unsympathetic and nonchalant about such a touchy subject. Her stomach was a pool of anger that swam through her veins. While she had been particularly hurt that Loki had not moved past the small bump in their relationship—having not told him earlier about his true parentage—Vyperia only wanted to find a way to rebuild the fallen reliability between she and Loki. Her care for him drove her to harsh criticisms of how she handled his confession of distrust. She hadn't expected him to be so honest about it; though she wished that he had said that there was a chance that it could be rebuilt, even after years of half-truths and insecure falsities.

She had thought that he had forgiven her, truly, her silent trespasses; but now it was clear that he was still wounded by how Vyperia had said nothing to him about his father, Laufey. Vyperia's flawed apology, merely empty words to Loki, had been trifled with guilt, inner scorn, and uttered fault. Vyperia's thoughts raced, and she wanted Loki to infiltrate her mind.

_I'm so sorry for what I said. I'm sorry for what I did. I'm so…so…sorry._

Vyperia held close the bed sheets in her fists.

She could go to him, to find him…and do what? Apologize again and make him more annoyed than what he was now?

No. He wasn't annoyed. Loki was furious with her. If he was annoyed, he would have said something that was equally painful to her. Instead, he had stayed quiet and walked out of the room. He couldn't bear to be around her. Loki left the room, unable to stay close to her any longer. As she thought of this, Vyperia began to disdain what she had so easily stated from dripping sarcasm.

She closed her eyes.

The inner working of a psychic's mind was like a choreographed layer of tunnels. Each road, each tunnel, each little path led to a different cerebral cortex that was connected to an individual person. Vyperia's mind searched for the racing thoughts of Loki, though she could find him nowhere in the connective grounds.

He could cloud her path, to block her from her intrusion. Loki's illusion and powers could blunt all of her will and strength to figure out where he was or what he was doing. Vyperia abandoned the attempt swiftly after she realized this.

Unable to decide what it was that she should do, Vyperia slid out of bed quietly, leaving the barren space of warmth that had offered no comfort to her. Her body glowed in the moonlight that shined through the opened bedroom window. She reached for her robe and pulled it over her shoulders, wrapping the sash tightly across her waist.

Vyperia left the bedroom wordlessly.

Her eyes met the shining golden handle that had taken a fierce beating from Loki just minutes earlier. Vyperia held it open with care, stepped through the lit passage, and closed it behind her with a soft _click_. Even the closing sound sounded as frightened and gloomy as she felt.

Strolling through the empty corridors, through the bare passages, and down a dark hallway, Vyperia entered the grand throne room. Her green eyes cascaded over the dark chamber with little cheer.

Then her eyes fell upon a silhouetted body, sprawled over the throne's arms.

She felt apprehensive as she looked upon Loki, who sat in his father's chair with a book in his pale hands. His eyes were focused upon the pages of the thick novel. One hand absent-mindedly stroked the spine of the column as his eyes paced to and fro, engrossed in the words that pulled him out of his reality.

Vyperia strode toward him uneasily. She said nothing as she came toward his throne chair. The steps that led up to his place of seating seemed like the valley of walking on shattered glass as Vyperia neared them. She crossed her arms and folded them tightly against her chest as she approached Loki, who paid her no heed—and if he did know that she was in his vicinity, he chose not to grant her a passing glance.

Loki's legs were strewn over one side of the arm of the throne. His hand propped up his head on the other arm as he continued to read the pages. After a swift examination of the rested book in his lap, he licked a finger and flipped the page.

Vyperia said nothing as she stood beside him. The tension in the large room tightened the growing knot in her chest, and it tensed her stomach to the point that she would suffocate under the silence. She bit her lip uneasily.

A thick reserve fell upon them in the stillness. The only occasional sound was the small crinkle of the book as the page was flipped.

"This is the longest time," said Loki's low voice, "that you have gone without pleading."

His tone was stricken with irritation. Vyperia stepped back to stand behind his throne, unable to look at him any longer without growing annoyed at his hindrance to look at her.

She said nothing in return.

"You obviously have something to say to me," continued Loki, "or else you would not have sought me out to simply _stand_ around, lurking in my personal space."

"You know perfectly well what I have to say," Vyperia answered coldly.

"That is quite a frost in your voice; though I am fairly certain that it was you who instigated this fight—"

"I meant nothing by what I said in the bedroom and you should have _known…_" Vyperia stopped herself short as she realized that her tone was, in the very least, disrespectful to the king of Asgard.

When she hadn't finished her sentence, Loki's diverted from the interesting pages of his novel. He didn't seek the eye contact between them, but his fast pacing eyes disrupted their course as he concentrated on the gravity of their conversation.

"I was wrong to say what I did," Vyperia admitted with closed eyes.

She eased her way back to stand in his line of vision, though he made no effort to look at her.

"I should have been more sympathetic to your cause. I—"

"I don't require your sympathy, merely your allegiance," remarked Loki crossly.

Upon that note, he bookmarked his place and closed the book. Loki straightened in his seat, throwing his legs over the up-right position of his seat to sit properly as king. He laid the book on the floor beside his throne and looked upon her visage crossly.

"_Have I not shown the validity of my allegiance time and time again?_" Vyperia snapped angrily, stepping in front of him.

Upon hearing the frustration in her voice, he met her blazing gaze with cold authority.

"Have I, for years, told you that I have been nothing but faithful to _you?_" Vyperia continued irately. "_What more is there to say? What else can I do?"_

He merely looked at her.

"_WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?" _Vyperia screamed into the silent chamber, glaring at him.

Loki stared at her as if she had performed a mastery feat of magic. The passion in her voice filled the empty hall—her words echoed off the walls and it was if several women cried out to their husbands a question of relentless fury that had been bottled for years. Vyperia heard her voice call from the medium level up to the ceiling. Hearing the disgruntled rage and broken pain in her tone, Vyperia winced as if she had been harmed with her own words. She sighed and passed a hand over her face.

Loki gazed at her.

"I'm sorry, Darling…" whispered Vyperia, her voice broken.

She felt her eyes burn.

"I'm so sorry," she muttered, shaking her head.

Loki watched her utter with a silent pest upon her shoulder. He saw a steady stream of tears quietly fall from her eyes to quickly trail down her cheeks. She quickly wiped her cheeks as if it was disgraceful to see a queen weep. Loki made no attempt to comfort her.

"I just…" Vyperia's words forestalled her attempt to find a meaning for her emotional outburst.

Loki leaned back on his throne.

"You are my wife," said Loki gently. "It is natural for you to feel frustrated."

"My frustration," said Vyperia quietly, "is not led by the burden of the throne, or by the brink of war that Asgard nears every day. Jotunheim is not my political dilemma. I care not for that race, but I do not envy or hate them, my lord."

She met his eyes with the look of one who attempted to hide potential sadness with a hidden smile.

"I am a goddess, Loki. I cannot hate the race of Frost Giants or the less evolved race of Midgardians. Have you learned nothing of what my duties are or what I am?" She made that false smile as fresh tears streamed down her cheeks. "What am I to you if you do not trust me?"

"I trust you, but how could I possibly know that you cannot be enticed by promised gifts of power? It is in your nature," said Loki, "to crave power and identity. If you should be given such things, will it make it easier to leave me for a life more prodigious than what I have given you?"

"_What makes you think such unlikely scenarios?_" asked Vyperia incredulously. "I have loved you for a thousand years. I have fought with you on the battlefields—you saved my life once, and I thanked you for that. We've gone behind your parents' back night after night to keep what we have alive. We played together. We fought together. I _love_ you in every way that can be possible…"

She stepped toward him as he sat upon his throne.

"Why should I choose raw power over what you have given me?" she said quietly. "We fight. We hurt each other. We are lethal to each other. I _need_ you more than you know, Loki." She smiled. "Without you, what have I to offer to anyone who decides to court me?"

Loki listened to her as if she were pleading for a man's life. Her case was valid, but it was like her words were carefully blended with passion, for truth. Loki gazed at her, slightly touched by her soft plea, but shook his head.

"These are but words," said Loki.

"_Words?_" Vyperia hissed incredulously.

He said nothing in return but saw the frustration increase upon her beautiful face. She shook her head indignantly.

"What little effect I have on you!" she cried out irritably. "You would have me on my knees to beg you to accept what I have to say!"

He considered it.

"Yes."

She stared at him, put out.

"What?" Vyperia said, her voice quieted.

Loki's frown slowly upturned into a mischievous smirk.

"I would accept your forlorn apologies if you did precisely as I tell you."

Vyperia looked at him, taken aback.

Her anger was doused and now she was relit by a sudden—unexpected—stir of arousal.

"What?" she repeated.

Loki shifted in his throne to comfortable set his hands upon the arms of the chair. He smiled at her with the familiar charm and appeal that many times had lulled her into primal urges, the same that slowly tangled her stomach with carnal pleasantries. Vyperia's brow furrowed with a lovely perplexed expression on her reddened features. The crimson flush in her cheeks paled and turned an adorable pink tinge as she looked at Loki, stunned.

"You heard me," he said. Amusement flicked upon his tongue as he indicated the floor in front of him. "Kneel."

She hesitated.

Loki's blue eyes penetrated hers with distinct arousal.


	26. Forgiveness

Silver and Scales

Chapter Twenty-Six: Forgiveness

"_You heard me. Kneel."_

Vyperia wasn't surprised to know that her furious pleas had lit a subtle fire in his stomach; though she was reluctant to understand that he wanted such an open display of dominance in an easily-intruded chamber hall _such_ as the throne room. The appeal, though, of pleasing her king was ever more alluring than it ever was in the closed quarters of their bedroom.

Loki gazed at her, pleased to see that she was astonished by his simple order. He didn't have to read her mind to know that she was more than willing to appease him in such an intimate act, though the discretion was sure to fly out of the bargain in a room such as this. It was part of the act, though—his wife, his queen; his _pet _would display the utmost allegiance if she abandoned her pride to display to him one of the greatest acts of selfless pleasures.

Vyperia bit her bottom lip, easily becoming aroused as she gazed at his clothed body upon the throne. It was one of many circumstances that she found him irresistible, if not the most arousing that she had ever seen. Her eyes undressed him as Vyperia searched his gaze for some sort of cruel joke; but it was folly. She had seen that restrained penetration in his eyes several times before; it was very clear what he demanded of her.

He didn't ask. He didn't request it.

It was an order.

The sensation of one being doused with hot water overcame her senses. Her palms flashed warm. Her cheeks reddened when swift images of him gasping from ecstasy flashed through her mind. Upon hearing the vacant, lucid moans in her head—rampant, wanton expressions upon his authoritative face—Vyperia stepped forward and slowly lowered to her knees.

Loki's eyes followed her as she knelt down in front of him.

"What will you have me do, My Lord?" asked Vyperia.

Although her voice was quiet, it was thinly veiled with eagerness. At the end of her sentence, she bit her bottom lip in order to contain the hidden zeal that now jumped in the fiery pits of her lower belly.

Loki said nothing in response, but his hands came to loosen his trousers. Vyperia seized his hands around his wrists to stop him; she smiled weakly at Loki as she pulled away his fingers. She scooted forward between Loki's knees to obtain a closer control in front of him. Loki merely gazed at her.

"Let me…?" she requested softly.

He nodded his acknowledgment. Vyperia loosened her grip around his wrists and numbly unbuttoned his trousers. He watched her apathetically, though his stomach churned with ire as he watched Vyperia undo the restraints around his throbbing member. Her submission was the root of his arousal. While her anger had been the instigation of Loki's sudden craves of human contact, he found that he really liked how easily she had switched from being an enraged queen of Asgard to a compliant, domesticated servant.

Vyperia pulled at his trousers inch by inch. She placed one of her prying hands along the inside of his clothed thigh. Loki felt her other hand slip down his trousers to free him from his restraints; he uttered a pleased sigh as she grasped him with a generous open palm. Vyperia sucked her own bottom lip to keep her bottled urges in check.

Vyperia's stomach churned with rough desires as her eyes gazed upon his throbbing cock in her hand. She wanted to mount him instantly, to show him just how willing she was in order to do what was necessary—but, selfishly, her own build up was becoming painful and she needed that same release.

"You will beg for your forgiveness." Loki told her calmly. "I will give it to you once you have earned it."

Vyperia smiled at him.

Her fingers wrapped around him and stroked him gently, a tantalizingly slow up and down motion that had Loki part his mouth; his jaw lowered in obvious torment, though it was a beautiful sight to see as it was apparent that this was something that he liked. Vyperia relished his expression.

"Tell me what you need me to do," said Vyperia obediently. "Tell me, and I'll do what my King asks of me. I will comply."

Vyperia's eyes trailed from his face to see his hands grip the edges of the throne's arms. His knuckles paled around the wooden frame. She smiled slightly as she turned her head to see him close his eyes. Vyperia leaned her head forward and slid her tongue along the underside of his cock.

Loki uttered a small groan of approval.

"Show your King how obedient you really are," he said with closed eyes. His voice was thick with arousal, a deep roll that stirred Vyperia's burning pool of need. "Beg for your forgiveness."

"Please, My King," said Vyperia…

Loki's eyes tightened as her mouth met his throbbing cock in her hand. Against the head of his erection, her lips moved against him as she spoke,

"_Forgive me, My Lord_."

Vyperia stole a glance at his hands that gripped the arms of the throne. Her mouth upon the head of his cock tendered for a swift moment, relishing in his obvious need as she teased him with her moistened lips.

"_Vyperia._" Loki's voice was stern with demand.

Vyperia smirked, but relinquished her taunts. Her mouth enveloped him fully.

Loki uttered a clear, concise moan as her lips wrapped around the base of his cock. Vyperia's hands fell to inner thighs, heeding him still as she played the part of an obedient servant. Loki's hips teetered upon lying still and moving to meet her bobbing head.

She uttered a small gasp when one of his hands left its cramping hold upon the arm of the throne to hold fast in the tangles of her blonde hair; his fingers pulled her head forward for better gravitation as her playfulness hardened him further. He clenched his teeth as he felt her cheeks suck in; the space in her mouth grew limited and she tightened around him.

"Oh, yes…"

His words left his mouth in restrained bliss, but they were very audible. Vyperia felt herself become immediately wet upon hearing words of ecstasy escape his lips.

Vyperia tongue lashed around him greedily as she came up for air. Her hand replaced her lips, stroking him with her aching fingers.

"Oh…_good girl_…" Loki moaned when he felt the transition from her hungry mouth to her fast fingers.

She felt her cheeks redden with longing. Vyperia's tongue peeked across the corner of her mouth with edging eagerness. She reveled in his pleasures, watching him with delight as his expression of power turned to one of little control.

"Tell me what you need," she whispered.

His hips began to jerk beneath her hand. Vyperia bit her bottom lip once more to stop herself from wanting to mount him and cure her own urges. Loki's hand that was grasped roughly in her hair pulled her down; upon knowing his need, Vyperia wrapped her lips around his cock once more. Loki moaned her name.

Her hand that caressed his inner thigh bruised him as she heard his call to her.

Vyperia felt throbbing pain between her legs.

"You know what to do," Loki said hoarsely, buried by a needed release. "Show your King just how much you want to please him."

He guided her mouth up and down his cock; his hips made slow, steady, controlled thrusts into her mouth. His eyes watched her with anticipation, drawing close. His breath left its shallow pace and became labored as he edged toward his release. Vyperia moaned as her mouth sucked hungrily around him. Loki's lips parted as the vibrations of her voice pulled him toward the extra inch.

Loki's heavy breathing ceased. Vyperia tasted his seed that spilled into her mouth as he came, and she readily swallowed. Doused in a fervor that now pooled between her legs, Vyperia licked the remnants of his arousal from around his erection and then her reddened lips. She withdrew to smile at him.

"Am I forgiven?" she asked sweetly.

Loki scoffed. He reached forward to grab her rough by the shoulders.

"Not until I say that you are. Come here, pet."

Vyperia rose to her feet upon command.

"Take off your robe."

Vyperia obeyed without question. Loki watched with a wide smirk as she untied the sash around her waist and properly shed the only piece of clothing that hid her curvy body. The robe fell to the floor with a swift flourish. Vyperia stood before him, poised with an elegant sheen of sweat on her body. His eyes scrutinized every inch of her with hunger. Vyperia's felt a stir in her stomach as his gaze landed just above her waistline.

He gestured for her to step forward.

Vyperia placed a knee on the seat between his legs; her other foot held her balance as she hovered over the arm of his throne. Loki's hand settled underneath her heated mound of nerves. The brush of his fingertips along her wet folds nearly drove her to utter madness. She bit down hard on her lip to conceal a breathless moan as she felt his hand cup her between her legs.

"You are nearly ready to welcome forgiveness, pet," said Loki with a mischievous gaze. "Never are you truly satisfied, are you?"

"Nor are you, My Lord," Vyperia answered breathlessly.

"Satisfaction is not in my nature." Loki retorted evenly.

"I could get you close to that, Sir," Vyperia remarked, looking down at him coyly.

Loki's hand separated as a single digit taunted her wet opening; she uttered a small cry of wanton need as he teased her.

"Are you so confident in your abilities that you can wager that?"

"I beg for forgiveness, isn't that what the stakes are?" Vyperia breathed.

"You are forgiven when I say that you are: not any time before then."

"Then must you taunt me so?" she replied with evident ache in her voice as his single finger barely grazed through her wet entrance.

It sent delicious shivers up and down her spine and her legs.

"Please," she begged him, gazing at him. "Please, let me satisfy my own need…"

"What will you learn from that, pet?" he asked her.

"I ache…" she whimpered.

Even as she spoke, Loki could feel that she spoke the truth as a slow gush of moisture slicked his fingers as he teased her.

"Yes, you ache. You ache for me, _and only me._"

Loki raised a hand to her face; he palmed her chin and brought her forward to kiss him fully on the lips. His tongue slipped between her parted lips. She moaned into the kiss. Then she cried out into his mouth as two fingers pushed through her wet barrier to slide against her naked walls. Vyperia's hand held his shoulder for support as she bore down hard against his hand. Loki broke the kiss to watch Vyperia mount his fingers in ecstasy.

"Oh, yes!" Vyperia moaned aloud as her hips pushed roughly against his prodding fingers. He tended to her dire need like a king who rewarded such a willing servant. Vyperia's hand along his shoulder gripped hard.

"Is that what you want from me, Vyperia?" he asked her, his eyes engrossed upon her engaged reaction.

"Yes…_Yes…_"

Loki shook his head.

"No."

He withdrew his fingers pulling a disappointed groan from her beautiful mouth. Loki moved her with demand. She straddled his waist. Vyperia's moans increased in volume as he forced her dripping sex upon his rejuvenated, hardened cock. Loki leaned his head against the back, feeling her walls tighten hard around him. Vyperia's hands held tight to the neck of the smooth throne, holding it for much needed support as she rode his furious thrusts.

"_Ride me,_" he hissed at her.

She needn't much more persuasion.

Vyperia cried out as her hips danced against his pelvis. Loki's lips parted in pleasure as she pulled him closer to release. Vyperia's breaths came labored; her entire body shook with craving as she hungrily mounted him.

"Oh, Loki, yes!"

She felt her own orgasm coming on…

"Don't make me stop…_please…_Don't make me stop, My Lord…"

Loki's fingers gripped roughly around her hips.

"Whatever you do, my pet," he moaned as his thrusts became less controlled…"Don't stop."

Vyperia took that order with the greatest of sincerity.

He made a vindictive thrust as he pulled her hips down onto his; she cried out in surprise, pain, and unrestrained rapture as he sent her over the edge. Vyperia's walls constricted around him painfully; and he winced as they closed shut around his cock. Vyperia's hands fell from the neck of the throne to hold fast to his shoulders. Vyperia unclenched and clenched traumatically around him. Her tight hold pulled him over his edge and his release came steady.

Vyperia uttered a small chuckle in his ear.

She lowered her head to place her forehead against his. Their breathing synchronized as they slowed to small panting, eyes closed.

"You are forgiven, my pet." Loki whispered softly.


	27. War with Jotunheim

Silver and Scales

Chapter Twenty-Seven: War with Jotunheim

When the sweat cooled upon their bodies, when the panting became nothing still silence; and the passion and submission that was shared between the king and queen slowly subsided, Vyperia raised her eyes to meet his with equilibrium—satisfied to at least the fullest extent that was possible. He made a small indication with his chin; Vyperia climbed off him. He pulled up his trousers and buttoned them up to return his formal composure to one of proper decency; Vyperia's naked body was sheathed as she wrapped the robe around her shoulders and tied the sash around her waist. Loki tiredly passed a hand over his face and she gazed down at him, beaming.

"There is one thing more," he said through a hoarse voice, one that ran its course after having reached the utmost capacity of gratification, "that you could do in order to secure your allegiance with me."

Vyperia merely looked upon him with shadowed eyes that conveyed neither amusement nor anger. His queen waited for his solution, wondering what should have him truly believe her that her loyalties could never shatter for another man.

"Come with me to Jotunheim."

The apathy upon her pale, sleepless face flickered with peril. Loki noticed the cascading emotion in her face as he said his final request seriously. He did not abate when he spoke of his origin's home-resting place. He didn't stutter.

"Jotunheim?" she repeated. Her brow furrowed in puzzlement. "_Why_ would you want to return there? Of all places to visit, why does Jotunheim strike the particular fancy?"

"I'm not fond of it, pet," Loki said to her, shifting on the throne. "It is something that must be done."

"Do you intend to wheedle the Frost Giants into a false sense of security, Loki?" Vyperia questioned him calmly. "Do you intend to make good on your word about a complete act of genocide?"

While her voice was collected, Loki could clearly see distress upon her face. Her eyes glimmered in the dark, looking upon her king with a pang of concern and worry. Vyperia stilled her questioning for a brief pause before her fingers wrung together in silent dismay, troubled.

He didn't respond, but merely watched her go through her petty inflictions of right and wrong—fairness and vengeance—in order to find the right reaction to what he indirectly implied that night.

"Their home is slowly falling apart; they seek only to rebuild what Odin had destroyed a millennia ago," said Vyperia quietly. "The Jotuns never intended to break the truce—you said it yourself. Why instigate them further?"

"Oh, Darling"—Loki rose from his seat to stand in front of her with a wide smile, though it didn't meet his eyes—"Why does it matter if their race is annihilated?"

"You speak of it as if only a few shall die at your hands," Vyperia whispered. "Eliminating them will not change who you are…even if you so desperately want to change…"

"It's not that," Loki retorted roughly.

She bit the inside of her cheek as she heard the stern irritation in his voice.

"Vyperia"—his tone softened to one of honeyed magnetism—"do you not want your home to be as safe as the other seven Realms?"

His hands reached for hers. Vyperia glanced down at his gentle connection; his fingers interlocked with hers that had gone slightly numb from his contact. She felt her heart quicken its pace as he lifted her arms; his hands placed her hands around his neck. She gazed at him, entranced, as he wrapped his hands around her waist, holding her close.

Vyperia met his eyes as he searched hers briefly.

"Is it your duty to obey your King's orders, or is it your pleasure to accompany your husband on his journey to Jotunheim?" Loki asked her simply.

"What will become of me if we should be attacked on the icy tundra, My Lord?" she returned with uncertainty. "They outnumber us. They are stronger than us. I nearly died that day when Thor instigated the fight. They could kill me where I stand."

"They can _try_," Loki told her confidently. "What king would allow ravage beasts to slay his queen before he could sacrifice himself in her place?"

"Your words are charming, Silver Tongue," Vyperia retorted, her eyes captivated by his subtle beguiling motions.

His fingers played a little dance the small of her back; he mesmerized her with his hypnotizing smile. His eyes searched hers, and it was like he could undress her submissive soul just by doing so.

"They answer to savagery," said Vyperia quietly. "They answer to war. How will you talk yourself out of that little play when the Frost Giants that you encounter are mere barbarians on their battlefield?"

"Do you trust me?" Loki asked delicately.

Vyperia's face, once contorted with anguish and perilous worry, melted at his simple question. She nodded.

"Loki," she began faintly, in order to coax him, but he shook his head lightly. Her lips paused as he placed a delicate finger upon her objecting mouth, silencing her.

"I want to trust you unconditionally, and this is what must be done. Come with me to Jotunheim. Prove to me that you are the woman that I have always trusted; but prove to _them"—_sternness was emphasized upon the Frost Giants—"that you are a queen to be _feared_."

When she had uttered no response, he continued his brilliant ovation of melodious charisma.

"Has it not been your insecurity to feel less than a goddess compared to the women that come in and out of this castle?"

"Yes, but—"

"Have you not told me repeatedly that you _know_ what the others females say behind your back, that they antagonize and beat you down to feel less than the powerful woman that you are?"

"_Yes—"_

Loki shook his head and strode away from her. She watched him stand beside his throne.

"Darling, this is how they control you—how they keep you in check to make certain that you do not show the capacity for ruling Asgard! Vyperia, _show_ them that you are a goddess to be feared! Show _all_ of them that you are worthy to stand by my side!"

"What will that prove, Loki?" remarked Vyperia, striding forward. "Will it show the rest of the women that I am kind and tender and to be loved rather than side-stepped like a plague? Will it show the other Realms that I am a merciful queen who would take into consideration the horrible plights that they, too, have seen? You speak of self-righteousness but your honeyed words are laced with poison!"

Loki looked at her.

"You cannot _kill_ an entire race," said Vyperia sympathetically.

Loki's eyes penetrated hers. The warmth and wholesome charisma that was bright in his gaze was replaced by a shallow glimmer of resentment and displeasure.

"Why not?" he whispered in the silence of the chambers.

She stared at him, taken aback by such a nonchalant reply.

"Loki, you must hate them; but, Darling, why should their lives pay for the lie that you were fed your entire life?"

"They tried to kill you in Jotunheim—"

"_Thor sought out battle and he was triumphant in that regard,"_ Vyperia strained, standing before him, "We instigated the entire fight. It was in Jotunheim's right to defend—!"

"_Stop_ defending them!" Loki cried out angrily.

Vyperia looked upon his frustration. She wasn't furious. She was sad.

"They tried to kill us—_all_ of us—and they will try again if they intend to take back what is theirs."

"You speak of the good of Asgard, but I know your true intentions," Vyperia remarked. "I know that you despise them all; but why should their lives bear recompense for your anger and jealousy toward your family? _Why_ should they suffer at your hands?"

He clenched his jaw, exasperated.

"Loki, I told you that I wouldn't question you. I promised that I would comply; but I whole-heartedly did not think that you would consider this as an option. You would take the throne as a reward; risk the balance of Asgard, in order to prove to your father that you are a worthy son? Is it not enough that Frigga handed to you Gungnir in full confidence that you would rule Asgard in Odin's stead? Is it enough that you are not questioned by your subjects? _Is it?_"

"_It's not!"_ Loki said furiously. "Why should you question me? Why should anyone?"

"It is _madness!"_ Vyperia snapped at him.

They stood upon the steps of the chamber hold, mere inches from each other. Loki sighed slowly to regain some proper composure. She stepped away from him. Vyperia crossed her arms.

Her words uttered in renewed sympathy,

"We have never fought so hard until your father fell into the Odinsleep," she muttered.

"It is a burden to be royalty."

"Royalty is not the burden that is weighed upon your shoulders, My Lord," Vyperia said softly. She met his glowering eyes momentarily before she continued. "You are blinded by hate. Loki, Darling, _why _is it so important for you to go to Jotunheim? Why press this war into existence?"

"It will be done, whether or not you accompany me." Loki said decisively.

"So you will have me abandon all that I know in order to appease your resenting heart, is that it?" Vyperia questioned bitterly. "All that I know, all that I have to understand—to have it shattered and cast out? I am _begging_ you, as a wife and your queen…"

She unfolded her arms to take his hands in hers…

"Do. Not. Do. This…" Vyperia implored him.

Vyperia and Loki looked at one another in silent regard.

He inhaled slowly.

"Why are you afraid?" he asked her contently. "Why are you so frightened?"

She shook her head.

"Do not appeal to my security blanket; I know that is what you're trying to do—"

"You _are_ frightened," he told her seriously.

Her argument was folly. He had read her thoughts. He had heard her desperate cries. Vyperia exhaled in small defeat.

"They are much _stronger _than me." Vyperia whispered. "They could kill me. Why should I not be so terrified?"

"On my life," Loki said softly, holding her hands tightly in his, "I _swear_ that they will not touch you."

She searched his face for deceit. When she found no deception, Vyperia recanted.

"I will accompany you to Jotunheim, my King, as your wife. As queen, I absolutely cannot approve."

Loki smiled at her.

He leaned forward and planted a sincere kiss upon her lips.

She returned it dotingly.


	28. Tender Words

Silver and Scales

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Tender Words

Vyperia and Loki stood in the throne room, looking at one another. They were enveloped in the other's arms, mere inches apart, having departed from their gentle kiss. She looked at him with more than just doting love. Admiration—even fascinated worship—beamed in her brilliant, green eyes. Loki recognized it with willful pride. If those eyes had belonged to his own family, gazing at him with that much adoration, maybe war wouldn't have been an option.

Loki reached for her hand that held close to his waist. Her gaze followed his arm as Loki interlaced his fingers with hers, and placed her hand on his shoulder in a romantic gesture. Vyperia smiled at him.

"Why is it," she said through an amused snicker, "that you can be so stern and consistent one moment and then the next be a gentleman whose mere gaze hypnotizes my very soul?"

He grinned at her.

"Do you know what you do to me?" she asked him affectionately.

"I do," said Loki. "The effect that I have on you is like a drug; and it is toxic and liberating at the same time."

"How do you know this feeling?" she said, wrapping her other arm around his shoulders. She connected her fingers on the nape of his neck.

"Truly?" he began with a mischievous smirk. "I know that you cannot stand to stay away from me because while I know that you ache for me late at night, it burdens me in the same way in the afternoon."

"That's beautiful," cooed Vyperia.

"It's dangerous," said Loki.

"It is peculiar how often those two often coincide," she added with a smirk of her own. "We are each other's weakness. It is like a written poem that has never been transcribed into words. Do you feel that, Darling? The world intends to see us tear apart, but it never happens."

"Why do you think that?" asked Loki.

"Why should we stay separate while the world burns?" his queen returned sardonically.

"As if we could stay separate…"

"As if _I_ could stay away," Vyperia noted with genuine sincerity.

Loki made an amused chuckle and pulled her close.

"I mean every word, Darling," said Vyperia quietly.

Loki settled a hand along the nape of her neck. They pressed their foreheads together, and their eyes closed. They had begun to slowly sway on the spot absent-mindedly in a tender, intimate dance.

"Ever do you speak about how your life would become meaningless if you were apart from me," said Loki gently. "I appreciate your precious sentiment, but you must promise me one thing."

"Anything," vowed Vyperia strongly.

"Never forget this," said Loki into the silent chamber.

Vyperia opened her eyes to see him staring at her from their close proximity.

"Whenever we are apart," said Loki, "whenever you are lost, I am here"—his hand left her neck to place his fingers upon the temple of her head—"in your mind."

"I could find you, but you could block me." Vyperia told him. "Would you have me search for you like a lost servant in search of her master? I would surely come undone if I believed that you had abandoned me without warning."

"You are my equal; you always have been," Loki said significantly.

He caressed her cheek with care.

"Love makes people so."


	29. A World Made Free

Silver and Scales

Chapter Twenty-Nine: A World Made Free

As the sun rose to the heavens, and it blanketed Asgard with the beauty of golden light, Vyperia buckled the waist belt tightly with nimble fingers as she gazed out the large window of the bedroom chambers. The last piece of armor that she needed to put on—a leather chest plate—lay behind her on the fresh linens on the bed. While she enlisted several thoughts of reassurance, the anxiety of entering Jotunheim was like a plague in her mind.

She feared the Frost Giants, though she never would condemn them to such a fate as genocide. They were creatures of war and barbarianism; and they'd have never sought out a war with Asgard if Thor had used his passion for something other than vengeance. Vyperia knew very well that she could die in that icy tundra if she stayed there long enough—that much was true.

_Your mind beckons,_ Loki's voice whispered as if he were speaking so softly into her ear, but his voice echoed in her mind as if it bounced within the inner walls of her cerebral cortex. _I can hear your thoughts. You are frightened._

Loki was in the arsenal, clear across on the other side of the castle. Vyperia looked out the window, dressed partially in her newly acquired green and black armor (to match the king ever Asgard entered war). Her hands reached for the chest plate; she gazed down at the heavy piece, though her eyes were not concentrating on it.

_I have every reason to be frightened,_ Vyperia thought decisively.

_With me, you should know peace;_ Loki's words filled her head.

_Reassurance and honeyed words calm the most ignorant of women, and I am not like them,_ Vyperia returned.

She pulled the chest piece over her head and weaved her hands through the dense material.

_We march into Jotunheim with no army behind us,_ Vyperia understood.

The bedroom door opened and Loki stood in the middle of the threshold. Vyperia looked over her should to see him smiling at her.

"We march into Jotunheim, and _all_ of Asgard stands behind us," replied Loki. "They cannot kill me. If they do, death is an assurance that they aren't willing to take."

"They will die by your hand or by Odin's," Vyperia muttered as she shifted the acquired piece of armor around her body. "They cannot escape death."

Loki smirked as he watched his queen uncomfortably move in the new armor. He strode into the room to stand in front of her. She looked at him with a weak grin. Loki held either side of the chest plate to arrange it in a way that complied with Vyperia's lean and tall stature.

The new armor was not something that she had grown accustomed to in the last three years. Always, she traveled with sprightly armor, for her work and fighting style had been one that required being light on her feet. As queen, the new blacksmiths took little care to the agility of their new matriarch and instead centered Vyperia's armory on protection.

"It contours to the body like a mold," explained Loki, as he studied the leather and metal strips along the chest cavity of her armor piece.

His fingers grazed over crucial extremity points; the armor appeased to his touch, sinking back against Vyperia's thin-covered tunic. With each pressure point, the armor became tighter and more secure—a feeling that suited her rather than the spacious, large shell of a warrior's girth.

"The newest blacksmith"—Loki spoke as if he was slightly distracted—"is very professional. While he amuses the soldier's concept (strength over endurance and power over speed)…" Loki's fingers relented as the leather and metal bent beneath his hands, appropriating Vyperia's bust and stomach in a comfortable squeeze—"He makes up for it by having his raw materials shape against its wearer's body."

After Loki fixed it, it felt more like a second skin.

"If armor is this comfortable, why doesn't he make it for the rest of the Asgardians?" asked Vyperia curiously, beaming.

Loki scoffed.

"The blacksmith did not think that it was necessary to spend ten grand on a single soldier, especially if they fight half as well as Thor," he added, smiling at her. He strode behind her to fix the belt around her hips.

"I would gladly opt for one of my own, but I've worn the same full armor for the last eight-hundred years. It has grown on me."

Vyperia chuckled. She could feel his hands pull and tug on her belt, adjusting it to the chest plate's snug fit around her hips.

"I might have a word with the blacksmith," criticized Loki. "He obviously doesn't know how to make a belt for a woman's hips."

"As I recall, he informed me that the last time that he had forged armor," Vyperia remarked, "it had been for a man whose girth and size is the same as Volstagg,"

"That may be so," Loki stated, "but it doesn't take five years of studying forgery and ten years of smelting and working on grindstones to know that if added 150 pounds, the Rainbow Bridge won't collapse under your girth."

Vyperia did not feel the waist belt loosen until it lowered to her the light connection of her pelvic bone. The leather held fast to her the grooves of her stomach muscles but loosened comfortably around her waist. Loki fixed that problem as well.

"Sit," Loki told her.

Vyperia lowered herself to the bed.

Loki knelt down on the floor. His fingers worked the metal casting around her thighs and kneecaps. Vyperia heard Loki sigh irritably; the blacksmith apparently had modeled the straps and pressure points for a heavy-built swordsman rather than a female assassin.

It was actually quite arousing to see her king maneuver the material around her body with such ease. Vyperia felt a tug there and push here as Loki's hands adjusted each piece of armor to fit her long legs. He was quick to spot exactly what was wrong with each adjustment and fixed it upon noticing.

"Remind me to discipline him," Loki muttered as he rose to his feet.

"It is a fair mistake," Vyperia dismissed easily.

"It would take a blind troll to mistake you for a man like Volstagg—for a man at all," he added, gesturing to her incredulously.

"I know anatomy and biology are not the easiest of subjects to understand," Loki told her as he helped her to her feet, "but it doesn't take four years of healing to tell a woman apart from a man. Most males figure that one out when they turn five."

"Most _Asgardian_ men," Vyperia pointed out with a smirk. "Midgardians begin to figure that out when they turn eleven—though with the rate some of them cross-dress, who can blame them?"

Loki chuckled.

"We cannot judge them," said Loki lightly. "It is in their nature to be confused; which is why every one of their races need some sort of government. What Midgard would be without a king…?"

"On their planet, it is called a democracy."

"That is an illusion," Loki told her, shaking his head. "Men and women huddling together to form a brilliant belief system and _everyone_ is pleased with it? That's a lie."

"It's been working for them for ages," said Vyperia with a shrug.

"And in those years, how many of them have died?" remarked Loki. "They are not free like us. They are a lost race, and they don't even know it. You know it by first-hand experience. The Midgardians slay each other for mere purpose—to do it—and for what cause? They slaughter each other while the other Realms stand by."

Vyperia nodded, unable to argue that much.

"They are animals."

"Animals, indeed," agreed Loki. "Come, Darling. We must leave before the night falls upon us. We settle this tonight for a world made free."

Vyperia followed him out the bedroom door.


	30. Loki Laufeyson

Silver and Scales

A/N_: I have been reviewing my chapters in the last two days, and I have planned a sequel for Vyperia and Loki. It will be in _The Avengers_ slot if you try to search for it in the _Movies_ tab; that's the next movie that it will take place. Thank you for the reviews; if you are pleased with how the progression of the story, let me know how I can make this even better. This is my first fanfic with Loki, so I'm trying to keep in character the best that I can. Let me know in your reviews. I'll let you get back to your reading! Enjoy _

Chapter Thirty: Loki Laufeyson

Loki and Vyperia arrived at Heimdall's Observatory.

The sentry looked upon the king and queen with the gaze of immediate suspicion, though he said not a word as they came forward. Vyperia met his other-worldly, penetrating stare. Heimdall looked between Loki and Vyperia then made a respectful bow, though he did not move from his guard.

"Jotunheim," Heimdall said with careful delay, "will not welcome two Asgardians whom both accompanied the son of Odin who destroyed half of its kingdom."

"Jotunheim has no quarrel with Asgard, not yet," Loki told him sternly.

"We intend to make right with Laufey and his gargantuan brothers," Vyperia added, indicating the closed Bifrost with her hand. "Thor has done irreparable damage; he has broken the truce between Asgard and Jotunheim. It is in my King's right to make amends."

"Your forked tongue cannot best me," Heimdall retorted.

Vyperia stared at him, insulted. Her cheeks reddened with familiar crimson.

Loki glanced at her with a small smile as her eyes narrowed at the Asgardian sentry. Heimdall's hands closed tightly upon the sword in his grasp.

"Know your place," she said, clearly agitated. "You have wondrous power, Heimdall, but you are still a soldier; and I am placed _above_ you."

He bowed his head, for he knew that he had spoken out of turn.

Loki gathered Vyperia's arm into his hand and led her in front of Heimdall.

"Open the Bifrost." Loki ordered.

"Sir, I must advise against—"

"_Do as you are told,_" Loki snapped.

Heimdall bowed his head once more. He took his greatsword in two hands and inserted the blade into the deep mechanism. As expected, the oval-shaped, golden doors turned and switched; the portal that led to Jotunheim steadied along the wall and then opened to reveal a spasm of color and light, whirring in a nauseating circular motion.

"I await your call, Your Majesties," Heimdall told them courteously.

"As you should," remarked Vyperia arrogantly, glancing at him.

Upon that statement, bereft of all kindness, the portal latched upon Loki and Vyperia and pulled them forward into the light. When they landed, they were surrounded by a sea of snow and ice.

Loki glanced at Vyperia. Her breathing quickened.

She didn't like being here.

Light frost had already started to creep along her armor. Loki saw the steam on her breath as she looked around apprehensively. Vyperia's scoured the entire area. He had seen that fear in her eyes every so often; notably, it had been on her face twice in the last week. Once, Vyperia had been terrified during the skirmish with Thor and Laufey; the second time had been during the argument that had taken place after Vyperia had told him about his true parentage.

"They hide," said Vyperia, her voice shaken from the cold.

Vyperia turned to meet Loki's calm face.

"We came here for a reason, pet."

His bare hand took her gloved fingers tightly in a consoling grip. She looked down at the small gesture and smiled, though the pain of fright still glowed in her face as she looked forward to stare at the darkest shadows of Jotunheim.

"This place reeks of death," Vyperia muttered somberly. "Laufey and his men had to bury their dead after we left."

"What makes you so certain that they did?" remarked Loki as they started to trudge through the snow.

"They mourn for their lost loved ones, too, Darling," Vyperia replied without looking at him.

"Is this new love for the Frost Giants?" he asked cynically.

"I don't speak out of my place, Loki; but I thought that you might have felt a little closer to them seeing as you are one," said Vyperia calmly.

"They abandoned me when I was a child, Vyperia," Loki said indifferently. "Would you feel any closer to them after knowing that?"

"You are right," she sighed.

They walked together in silence, nearing Laufey's icy temple.

The icy surface of the planet looked haunted, daunting, and more frightening than it had been the last that they had stepped foot onto the snowy terrain. It was as if the sun had neglected the planet and favored the high hills of Midgard and the glowing buildings of Asgard. Warmth was forever absent, and it seemed to have been negated in the hearts of the Frost Giants as well.

"We're almost there," Loki told Vyperia gently. "Not too far now…"

Vyperia felt fear cling to her stomach's relief; tension built up in the tightest corners of her belly. She squeezed his fingers that held her hand. He glanced down at her clenched fist, noting just how frightened she must have felt—though she was trying her best not to show it. Vyperia bit her bottom lip as she steadily grew nervous.

Darkness shrouded the ruined temple. Laufey's home suffered repercussions from Thor's reckless abandonment. Loki guided her into the damaged home by her home. He heard her breath hitch upon arrival as Loki and Vyperia looked around them to see that Frost Giants were scattered here and there—everywhere—standing eight feet tall, all bearing menacing red eyes that peered out from their beautiful, blue skin.

Vyperia uttered a small, petrified cry as the Frost Giants, upon seeing their new arrivals, surrounded the Asgardian Majesties. The Jotuns' bodies blocked the exit. Vyperia stepped behind Loki as she sought the eyes of King Laufey, who sat on his throne, peering straight back at her. Loki moved his head to see Vyperia hide behind his back, frozen on the spot.

The Frost Giants moved and looked at one another in recognition, noting the fear that was ever present on Vyperia's face.

"Tell me," Laufey's deep, rolling voice thundered in the empty silence of the cave, "_why_ I shouldn't kill you."

"I've come unarmed," said Loki bravely.

"But not alone," objected Laufey as he peered at the frightened eyes of Vyperia.

"We smelled that Snake from the moment you came here, Asgardian," Laufey's icy voice drawled. "We _never _forget a face. You say, Odinson, that you have come here unarmed; but to what end? Here to gallivant your strength upon my brothers? Are you here to claim what _isn't_ rightfully yours? Shall I prepare a feast for my enemies? You've come a _long_ way to die."

Loki smirked at him.

"I've come to make you another proposition."

"Ahhh." Laufey's voice crackled in realization. "So _you're_ the one who let us into Asgard."

"You're welcome," Loki retorted sardonically.

"My men," said Laufey disdainfully, "are dead, and I have no casket."

Vyperia turned to see the Frost Giant encircle she and Loki.

"Darling…" she whispered fearfully.

Loki glanced at her and noted the cause of her small cry. The Jotuns closed in a few more inches.

"You," Laufey continued darkly, "are a _deceiver."_

Vyperia squealed in terror as Laufey lashed out and grabbed Loki by the throat. Vyperia's hands covered her mouth to stop herself from screaming. The Frost Giants circled her, towering over her. She had never felt so small in her entire life.

Loki calmly stood his ground.

"_You have no idea what I am."_

Vyperia saw Loki's visage through the circle of Jotun arms to see that the blueness on Loki's throat clouded the rest of his face. Laufey and his guards stared in shock at Loki, whose eyes slowly turned crimson red. Loki grinned.

"Hello, Father," he said darkly.

Laufey released him. As soon as his hand left Loki's throat, the Asgardian prince returned to his normal color. Intrigued, Laufey sized up his abandoned son. While Laufey was momentarily rendered speechless, Loki looked at him sternly.

"Since we are honoring the niceties of diplomacy, I would _appreciate_ it," Loki said strictly, "if your men stepped away from Vyperia."

Laufey looked over Loki's shoulder to see that his brothers gravely encircled the woman who had accompanied him. He gestured for them to separate. Vyperia stepped forward. Loki glanced at her to see if she was all right.

Her face had gone extremely pale.

"The Snake is your comrade," said Laufey indifferently.

"_Queen_," Loki corrected him.

"Ahhh…" Laufey registered with a gnarly smirk. "The bastard son lives. I thought that Odin had killed you. That's what I would have done. He's weak as you are."

"No longer weak," Loki stated seriously. "_I_ now rule Asgard, until Odin awakens. Perhaps you should not have so carelessly abandoned me."

Laufey paused.

"Or perhaps it was the wisest choice that I have ever made."

Vyperia's color returned to her face, hardened and rejuvenated by Laufey's heartless and political remark.

"_You should never have abandoned your own offspring_," she said coldly.

Laufey looked at Loki momentarily, as if to see if Loki would stop his wife from speaking her mind. When Loki made no motion to do so, Laufey turned his red gaze to Vyperia.

"Who are you to dictate what my people do, when you cannot control your own?" he said dangerously.

Vyperia said nothing to this, only to know that he had a fair point. Laufey turned his eyes to Loki.

"I will hear you."

Loki smiled.

"I will conceal you and a handful of your soldiers, lead you into Odin's chambers, and you can _slay_ him where he lies," Loki said smoothly. "I'll keep the throne, and I will return the Casket to you; then you can return Jotunheim to its former…glory."

"Why would you do this?" asked Laufey. "The Casket of Ancient Winters has been captive in your armory for the last millennia. Your people have languished with the idea that it was in your corrupted form of justice that you would rightfully take what is ours."

"It was _Odin's_ corrupted justice." Vyperia stated defiantly.

Loki glanced at her. Vyperia's hand left his; Laufey looked upon her with some amusement. Even as she shuddered from the icy cold and her breath was frosted and steaming from her tempered heat, the look upon her face was sanctimonious anger.

"Why does your _queen _speak with such raw passion, Loki Laufeyson?" said Laufey.

"She is one of the goddesses in Asgard who care for such things," Loki retorted.

"I'm _the_ Goddess of Guardianship," said Vyperia self-righteously. "It was I who wanted the All-Father to return the Casket to you, to allow your men to return Jotunheim to its state as it once was. Odin did nothing. It _is_ yours, but you intended to use it to turn Midgard into another Ice Age."

"Yggdrasil does not bow to one Realm." Laufey returned steadily. "Each Realm has its purposes. Our home was ripped apart by the All-Father's soldiers, barely bereft of its original founding grandchildren. _Your_ kind destroyed the lives of our loved ones."

Vyperia's eyes pierced his as he spoke so diligently, calm and collected.

"It is like the Asgardians to take what is not theirs. Odin did the same thing when he entered the Svartalfheim and wiped away Malekith's kingdom. How many lives were taken _that_ day, when Odin wiped the race of the Dark Elves? How many years had to pass before _they_ received justice? Did they ever?

"We crave the same for our kingdom as they did for theirs. Vengeance may not be in your precious vocabulary, Goddess of Guardianship; but Odin knew what he was doing when he tore through our ranks and took our Casket. Odin's boy would have killed us all with his bare hands.

"You walk into Jotunheim once more and ask for a truce? Why should we trust your words when the last Asgardian prince stepped forward and _annihilated_ half my settlement? Your king—"

"But he is _not_ king," Vyperia interrupted him pretentiously.

Laufey stared at her, studying Vyperia's vibrant gaze. Her serpent powers were as lethal as her tongue; yet he listened to her rebuttal. She obviously understood the damage that Odin had done a thousand years ago, and what pain had been put on the other Realms that had faced war with Asgard.

Her eyes were lit with renewed vigor. Any fear that had rested in her mind was expelled as Vyperia had listened to Laufey's testimony about Odin. Laufey didn't need to explain his doubt; she cradled the same disrespect for the All-Father as he did.

"Thor is exiled," Vyperia denoted with vitality. "His father cast him out; Thor was reckless, dangerous, and arrogant; we should have never had let him come to your kingdom. That was our fault," she added with a slight nod.

Loki's eyes watched her with interest and noted admiration. She was candid, polite, and potent with passion. She related to Laufey more than the king of Jotunheim realized. However, as she proclaimed with fierce heartiness about the flaws that the Asgardians had about allowing Thor into Jotunheim, Loki knew that she was appealing to Laufey's indignation and vital pain that Odin had caused him a thousand years ago.

"Why do you empathize with those whom would slaughter where you stand, Queen of Asgard?" Laufey drawled. "If you understand such a range of diplomacy, why, after all these years, stand up against the All-Father to proclaim such vivacity and spirit about right and wrong?"

"I know the pain that Odin caused you and your people," said Vyperia. "I know the anger that tempers your being. _I know it_,for I felt it when it happened. It is in Odin's nature to think that he is in the right; but he is wrong often. It was Odin who wanted to wait years and years later to tell my king of Loki's true parentage."

Loki glanced at her as she brought the subject up; Laufey looked at Vyperia and Loki. She ignored the lightest of intensity from Loki's gaze.

"I will _never_ approve of what you did," said Vyperia, glaring at Laufey. "It's fair enough to say that Odin All-Father is not in my good graces, and I have no guilt whatsoever to see him die a glorious death."

Laufey and Vyperia exchanged penetrating gazes.

Loki smiled at Vyperia as she stood her ground.

"Your king," said Laufey slowly, turning his attention to Loki, "showed my men the way into Asgard on Thor Odinson's coronation. If you should do this to your own kin, why should I put my trust into a god who would betray his neighbors?"

"When all is done," Loki answered serenely, "we will have a permanent peace between our two worlds. When Odin is dead, I will return the Casket, which is what Odin has taken from you. And I will have my seat on a throne, which is what _you_ took from _me_."

"What more is there for you than just a seat upon a throne?" Laufey demanded suspiciously. "The God of Mischief does not 'break even'."

"I, the _bastard son, _will have accomplished what Odin and Thor never could."

"This is a great day for Jotunheim. Asgard is finally ours."

"No, Asgard is mine," Loki corrected him imprudently. "The rest of the Nine Realms will be yours, if you do as you're told. My queen and I will not interfere in your litigations should you choose to partake in the other Realms, as long as your brothers stay away from Asgard."

"I assume that, as you keep her so close, that your queen also has some reward in this bargain?" Laufey remarked.

"Vyperia's place as queen is conditional upon Odin's sleep."

"And I have no intention of giving it _back_," Vyperia said blatantly.

Loki smirked at her as she stated this is so audaciously. The fierce promise in her voice was almost violent.

Laufey considered the proposition.

"I accept."

Loki took Vyperia's hand and turned to leave. She glanced at him as they walked; the slightest trace of a smile crossed his face.

The Frost Giants separated as they permitted the Asgardian gods to exit through the ruined doors, unharmed.

As they stepped out onto the icy tundra, Vyperia exhaled in relief. They crossed the snowy terrain to step onto the rune where they had been transported earlier.

"_Heimdall!"_ Vyperia's voice shrieked to the heavens. "_Whenever you are ready!"_

Not a minute after her call, a burst of light came forth from the sky and snatched her and Loki from the surface.

They zipped through the waves of color and light to land back into the warmth and solidity of the Observatory. Vyperia uttered a noise of sickness and swayed on the spot; she leaned against the solid wall and massaged her stomach through the leather chest plate, attempting to calm the wave of nausea that hit her.

Vyperia looked up to see Loki and Heimdall glaring at one another. She straightened as she peered at the wholesome gaze on the sentry's face. It was one that could bite if it had teeth; distrust and simmering offense penetrated the beautiful golden yellows of Heimdall's eyes. Loki cocked his head to the side.

Heimdall stepped away from his controls.

"What troubles you, Gatekeeper?"

"I turned my gaze upon you in Jotunheim," answered Heimdall, "but I could neither see nor hear you. You were shrouded from me, like the Frost Giants who had entered this Realm."

"Perhaps," suggested Loki icily, stepping forward slowly, "your senses have weakened after many years of service."

"Or," Heimdall stated with aroused misgiving on his voice, "perhaps someone has found a way to hide that which he does not wish me to see."

Vyperia bit the inside of her cheek.

Loki sized up Heimdall momentarily then smiled. He interlocked his fingers with thought.

"You have great power, Heimdall. Tell me: did Odin ever fear you?"

"No," answered Heimdall.

"And why is that?" Loki questioned routinely.

"Because he is my king; and I am sworn to obey him."

"Exactly," Loki said. His smile disappeared to replace a frown of skeptic disdain. "He _was_ your king. You are sworn to obey me now. Yes?"

Heimdall met Loki's piercing gaze. A frown furrowed on the Gatekeeper's lips with obvious dislike. After a long minute, he said through distorted courtesy,

"Yes."

Loki unclasped his hands.

"Good. Then you will open the Bifrost to no one until I have fixed the damage that my brother has done."

He motioned for Vyperia to follow him.

"I'll be along shortly, Darling," she called to him.

Loki halted mid-step to turn to look at her.

Heimdall stared at Vyperia.

"I'll be along, Darling," she reassured him vaguely.

Loki's eyes switched between Heimdall and Vyperia briefly. He merely nodded his acknowledgment to her then turned on his heel to walk out of the Observatory. Vyperia folded her arms across her chest.

"Do you suspect my husband of treachery?"

He didn't answer.

"Speak freely, Gatekeeper," Vyperia ordered.

"I do not see what the other women of Asgard spy in you, Your Highness." Heimdall's low voice informed her dutifully. "As a goddess, you have performed miraculous feats in your profession—saved thousands of lives in the course of the wars that happen upon Midgard. What you want is purpose. You can have that under the rule of another god."

Vyperia narrowed her eyes and asked,

"And, dear Heimdall, what if my purpose is to stand by my King's side when he needs me the most? Why not elaborate my duties in priority, as you see and hear all?"

"It is your duty to look after the lives of all whose creation was made," Heimdall told her plainly. "You are the mother of all who was given life and which is taken away; do you know it deep down that several lives hang in the balance of your loyalty to Asgard and to Loki?"

"My loyalty is to both, for I love both Asgard and Loki," Vyperia remarked.

"Do you love the lives of the Frost Giants as well?"

"You tread on thin ice, Heimdall," warned Vyperia. "I intend to hear you out because it is in my nature to be forgiving and curious. As queen, it should be my duty to understand the concerns of those around me; but you're making it very difficult to remain unbiased."

"Your Majesty, I believe that you may enjoy the throne too much to remain unbiased."

Vyperia raised an eyebrow, surprised at his blunt confession.

"You were at first kind and lenient to those around you," Heimdall perceived. "Always the gentle spirit in Thor's band of companions, have you been. Now as the circle weaves tighter, I can tell that your gentleness has hardened into arrogance."

"I am arrogant, Heimdall?"

"You are not the formidable beauty that once you were known to me, Vyperia," said Heimdall passively. "Your care and your love have been tainted by the power that comes with ruling."

"How so, Gatekeeper?"

"Never have you ever told me to know my place," Heimdall informed her. "We have never spoken so candidly; but there has always been a known respect between us. That has changed. _You_ have changed, and in the worst way possible."

"I am your queen, and I have changed," said Vyperia firmly. "My loyalty lies with Loki, as yours should now."

With that in the air, Vyperia turned on her heel and strode after Loki.

Heimdall watched her retreating back, and he shook his head slowly; he turned his gaze to other Realms in silent contemplation.


	31. Troubled Minds

Silver and Scales

Chapter Thirty-One: Troubled Minds

Vyperia left the Observatory to enter the castle, still shivering from Jotunheim's endless strain of cold and ice. An hour longer or perhaps less than that would have frozen her solid if Loki hadn't pulled her out of the snowy Realm in time. She was numb, not from the chill winds that had nipped at her neck and hands (even through the abundant warmth that the leather provided), but how readily she had come to speak so strongly toward the Jotun King. Vyperia had always felt some little compassion for the Frost Giants; though she assumed that they believed that she was a monster created in Asgard—that they wouldn't openly accept the sadness and empathy that she held for them.

Laufey believed that Loki offered full redemption for Jotunheim; yet she knew that her husband's true intentions were quite the opposite. He would have all of the Jotuns believe that there was a simple respect between their two Realms only to smoke it out with a petty bargain. Vyperia's stomach churned at Heimdall's words, for it was visible to her that the Gatekeeper of Asgard could see right through Loki's noble intentions. She anticipated the actions of Heimdall with anxiety, wondering if he would commit mutiny among the citizens of her Realm.

Heimdall and the Warriors Three and Lady Sif could see that Loki was not to be trusted. Vyperia's fingers wrung tightly in her grasp. The throne was slowly slipping from Loki, although he was certain that it couldn't be done.

_Not just from him,_ Vyperia thought with uneasiness, _from me too._

After being queen for only a short time, Vyperia did not see it possible to hand it over to Frigga once Odin awakened. Her situation was conditional upon Odin's life and perhaps even Thor's. She spoke true in Jotunheim. She had _no_ intention of handing the crown back to its original owner.

_It must be done in order to keep everything as it is, as it should be,_ Vyperia thought dutifully. _The Warriors Three will surely find a way…_

Vyperia had told Loki that she would join him after speaking to Heimdall, but now she broke that little promise and wandered into the gardens for some peace and quiet to think. The psychic link could work between she and Loki; and she wondered, with this new power, would she be able to hear the other minds of those who surrounded her?

_It's like burrowing a tunnel,_ Vyperia's mind raced as she entered the quiet gardens. _Find them, track them…_

She sat crisscrossed under the flowing vines and branches of the friendly Willow tree. She closed her eyes and twiddled her thumbs, thinking and concentrating.

Voices echoed from far off distances, ever changing and blended together in a confused mixture of laughter, crying, singing, and boisterous arguments. The latter was Asgard on the brink of war, teetering between optimism and hopeless regret. Vyperia's eyes tightened as several men and women whooped and cheered—the sound changed to a wife and child screaming at one another in the quarrel of love and self-preservation.

Then the voices in her head slowly mellowed, and she recognized the words of an irritated Fandral…

"_Our dearest friend banished, Loki on the throne, Asgard on the brink of war, yet you manage to consume four wild boar, six pheasant, a side of beef, and two casks of ale. Shame on you! Don't you care?"_

"_Do not mistake my appetite for apathy!"_ Volstagg's voice roared.

"_Stop it."_

Sif was among them.

"_Both of you! We all know what we have to do; we're just too damned afraid to do it."_

"_We must go,"_ Hogun's grim voice spoke decisively, "_We must find Thor."_

"_It's treason, Hogun,"_ Fandral warned him. "_If Loki doesn't punish us, his precious queen will."_

"_To hell with treason, Fandral, it's _suicide!" Volstagg blurted out incredulously.

A long pause left them with nothing to say.

"_Perhaps we could persuade Vyperia to let us find Thor," _Sif contemplated aloud with the calmest of tones. "_She's the voice of reason out of all of us."_

"_She _was_," Hogun emphasized gravely, "until her, too, was put above us."_

"_Vyperia is a goddess like me; she must seek out to carry out her duties."_

"_That's wishful thinking, my dear lady," _Fandral rebutted. "_But even her morals are blinded and scattered; she obeys Loki, and Loki alone. You saw how she was in front of him—you've seen how she has acted in the past. He has her under her spell."_

"_His magic is not performed upon her," _Sif retorted gently.

"_I'm not talking about magic,"_ Fandral returned meaningfully. _"You want us to come to her in the afternoon and request her to send us to Midgard to search for Thor? His return would mean taking away her place as Queen. She would certainly, too, be exiled for treason."_

"_Why treason?" _asked Volstagg curiously. "_She's merely performed the duties that Loki has asked her to do. Scales has always been reluctant to break the rules."_

"_No more reluctant than Thor,"_ Fandral remarked. "_Vyperia's duties as the Guardianship Goddess were dropped when she went with us into Jotunheim. Those Frost Giants that died by _her_ hand were supposed to be protected, and they weren't. She's failed. When Odin wakes, he will exile her for dropping her duties as a goddess."_

"_I think that we could persuade her, still,"_ Sif muttered. "_She's our dear friend; and she loved Thor just as much as we do. Vyperia has been our friend for years, my companions; should she leave us behind for a king who would probably set her aside when all is done?"_

"_You don't see how Loki looks at her then,"_ Fandral told Sif. "_You see friends and mere lovers; they are something stronger than that. They share a bond, a bond so strong that we—mere friends—cannot break. She would run to Loki the _moment_ we mentioned going to search for Thor."_

Sif emitted a small sigh of exasperation,

"_Thor would do the same thing for us."_

That indicated a longer pause.

"_What are we planning to do, my dearest friends?"_ Volstagg's voice stated sharply.

Vyperia withdrew from the conversation. When she opened her eyes, she felt the worst of the migraines that she had ever experienced. The silence in the garden made her ears ring. She woozily rose to her feet, feeling as if she had ran all the way from the healing room to where she swayed on the spot in five seconds flat.

Yet she remembered what the Warriors Three had said, and she buckled down on what strength she could muster and headed toward the castle.

Upon entering, the castle guard, one of the Einherjar staff, straightened upon seeing her and saluted his queen as she approached him. Vyperia looked at the dark eyes of the man and smiled at him shortly.

"Guard, where is Loki?"

"His Highness surveys his kingdom up yonder the palace grounds, My Lady," answered the palace guard courteously.

"He waits for me?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Excellent." Vyperia patted his armored shoulder. "At ease, Captain."

"Yes, Ma'am," he returned; he relaxed slightly.

Vyperia strode pass him.

The location in question was a balcony that extended from the throne room. Vyperia strode through the castle's corridors, passing several hand servants and linen maidens as she did so; they bowed to her as she approached them and stayed knelt to the floor until she was out of hind sight.

The guards who patrolled the hallways stood erect against the wall, allowing her to pass before they resumed the evening watch. Their greeting to her was a chorus of exemplary addresses: "Your Highness", "Your Majesty", "My Queen", and "My Lady".

Vyperia smirked as the last guard bowed his head to her as she turned a corner.

_Oh, no. She couldn't give this back._

Vyperia approached the open doors of the balcony. Before her, she recognized Loki—his back turned to her—as he stood inches away from the banister. Loki stood with Gungnir in his hand, gazing out in the distance to admire what was finally his. Vyperia stepped toward him.

"My liege appears to be pleased with thee," volunteered Vyperia with a wide, cocky smile on her face.

Upon hearing her voice, Loki's head turned slightly in the direction of its source.

"You stayed behind," he told her. "Why?"

"Heimdall isn't pleased with how I treat my place as Queen," admitted Vyperia as she stepped up beside him. "It matters not."

"Doesn't it?" said Loki darkly.

She looked at him, a bit perplexed by his tone.

"What exactly did you say to him?" asked Loki, looking at her.

"He questions the oath that I took with the All-Father as a goddess. He questions my loyalties and my duties. He questions me. I said nothing about Laufey," relayed Vyperia sincerely. "Your business with the Jotuns is your own. I merely support your efforts."

"Mm." Loki's answer was vague, merely affirming what she said. "Is that a reassurance to me or you?"

"I admit that I grow wary as this situation begins to progress, Darling." Vyperia confessed. "Our world hangs in the balance of resistance."

"Resistance? Thor is not part of the problem."

"I'm afraid that you will find that you're wrong…" Vyperia inserted politely.

Loki's gaze concentrated as she said this line.

"What do you know, pet?"

"I know that there are traitors in your midst," Vyperia said wearily.

"Who?"

"Who do you think, Loki?"

He absorbed her words with little patience.

Just as he was about to speak, one of the Einherjar guards quickly approached the two of them from behind, out of breath. Vyperia and Loki turned simultaneously to meet the wheezing soldier.

"Your…Your Majesties," the guard panted. "The Warriors Three and the Lady Sif have gone missing."

Loki sighed with obvious irritation; he glanced at Vyperia who gave him a knowing look. Loki reacted. He strode pass the guard, who was doubled forward. Vyperia patted his back as she passed him.

"Good work, lad."

"_Thank you, My Lady,_" he wheezed.

Vyperia raced after Loki, whose walk had enveloped into a purposeful strut.

"If it isn't one thing," said Loki, agitated, "it's another."

"No one ever said that this was going to be easy, Darling."

"I never did; but the matter is under my control. I'll be damned if my throne is taken from me because an Asgardian rogue decides to have a little courage from years of doing as he was told."

Vyperia and Loki approached Heimdall on the Rainbow Bridge. Heimdall had abandoned his place at his controls; instead he stood in front of the Observatory with his sword grasped tightly in his hands. Heimdall looked upon the two rulers of Asgard in dislike; he had abandoned the strongest of efforts to remain clandestine, and now his grown detest for them was out in the open.

"Tell me, Loki, how did you get the Jotuns into Asgard?"

"Do you think that the Bifrost is the only way in and out of the Realm?" Loki challenged him. "There are secret paths between worlds to which even you with all your gifts are blind. But I have need of them no longer, now that I am King."

Heimdall looked upon Loki with disgruntled distaste.

"And I say," Loki said decisively, "for your act of treason, you are relieved of your duties as Gatekeeper; and you are no longer a citizen of Asgard."

"Then," Heimdall said slowly, his fingers tight around the handle of his weapon, "I need no longer obey you."

Heimdall raised his massive sword, and strode forward to attack Loki and Vyperia. Vyperia flinched as the sword came forth—Loki pushed her aside—and he reached out with both hands, took hold of a glowing artifact within his arms and held it out in front of him. Vyperia fell to the floor of the bridge and looked up to see Loki holding the Tesseract in his arms, conjured from mid-air.

The Casket of Ancient Winters opened and a burst of frost, ice, and snow burst from the canister. Heimdall's swipe of his Greatsword came toward Loki—the fury of the Casket unleashed as the winds of Jotunheim screamed and flew straight toward Heimdall. Ice readily clung to his golden armor, freezing him. The blade slowly stopped in front of Loki's blue face; his red eyes glared back at Heimdall's still yellow pair. Loki took one step back.

Vyperia gazed up at Loki, who stood in his Jotun form, dark blue with beautiful markings upon his body. He lowered his gaze to meet her eyes. She was awe-struck; an open smile was upon her pretty face. Fascinated worship was there. Loki took the Casket and waved his hands around it.

Where howling winters had screamed from his blue hands now was nothing; and his skin color paled, returning his Jotun appearance to the one that belonged to the king of Asgard. Loki bent forward and grabbed Vyperia's hand; he helped her to her feet.

She merely stared at her, breathless.

When she could say nothing, Loki took Gungnir in his hand and entered the Observatory. Vyperia followed him, numb and shell-shocked. Loki wordlessly inserted Gungnir into the Observatory's control panel and opened the Bifrost. The same spasm of color opened and light poured into the star-lit room. Vyperia watched a large, towering robot break the smooth patterns of light. The Destroyer appeared before Loki; a fiery glow rose from within its helmet where the presence of a head should have been. It turned its absent skull toward its king.

"Find my brother. Find his friends. Ensure that he does not return. Kill them if you must."

The Destroyer bowed and turned on its heel. It re-entered the portal and disappeared as quickly as it had arrived. Loki gripped Gungnir in his hands and pulled it out from the mechanism. He turned to look at Vyperia.

She could say nothing to him. He smiled.

"Come, pet," he told her as he took her hand. "We'll be late for supper."

She nodded silently, spell-bound, and he led her out of the Observatory.


	32. A Plan of Mischief and Mayhem

Silver and Scales

Chapter Thirty-Two: A Plan of Mischief and Mayhem

Loki and Vyperia took their evening meal in the dining hall. Aside from the hand-maidens, servant boys, and the guards that were placed at the four entrances of the hall, the regal couple was alone. They were quiet; the only sounds that echoed between them were the small _tings_ of silverware lightly clattering against plates as they ate in silence. Loki sat across from her, glancing up to observe her inaudible expressions. He gazed at her hands, which were slowly shaking even as she raised the fork to her mouth and ate the roast duck on her plate. When her hand clasped the goblet, his eyes noticed the nervous shudder in her face as Vyperia sipped the wine.

She felt his eyes on her.

"Vyperia."

His queen sighed as she gazed at the crimson red liquid in her glass; she lapped at it like a thirsty dog. Loki leaned back in his seat, watching her. Her fingers turned the goblet's thin body thoughtfully. The events of the day settled on her thin eyebrows; Vyperia held an expression of one being troubled. Loki took his napkin from the table and wiped his hands. He gestured to the right; as ordered, a servant lad appeared by his side.

Loki whispered something in his ear and the lad nodded obediently. Loki watched the boy walk out of the dining hall.

"You have not looked at me since we sat down," said Loki.

"I know what you look like, Darling," muttered Vyperia shakily.

"Are you angry with me?"

"No."

"Are you sad?"

"No."

"Then what's the problem?" remarked Loki calmly.

Vyperia's eyes shifted from the glass in her hand to meet his hard gaze. She licked her lips with reluctance and placed the goblet back on the table. Loki saw several expressions pass her beautiful face: hesitation, complication, confusion, irritation, and conflict. Those green eyes left him to stare about the guards and the hand-maidens in the room with them. Loki nodded slowly, realizing that this was a sensitive matter.

"Leave us."

The guards bowed, turned, and walked out. The female servants exchanged curious glances but didn't wait around to be told to leave. The servant boy to whom Loki had spoken returned as others were walking out; he held a sealed bottle in his trembling hands. Vyperia looked at the boy with a passive smile. Loki relieved the young man of his burden, replying with a word of thanks. The servant lad bowed and followed the others. Soon, there was no one around them.

"I don't know what is troubling you," said Loki as he secured the bottle in his hands, "but I can assure you that whatever female-driven emotional conflict that burdens your mind can be solved with simple male-driven logic and reasoning."

Vyperia, who had been watching the servant's retreating back, turned to see Loki uncork the wine bottle and place it on the table.

"Calm your nerves," he gestured for her to pour her a glass.

"How can you be so collected," asked Vyperia with a smooth, but low voice, "when the Destroyer hunts for your brother and your friends?"

"First," Loki began with a raised finger, "they are Thor's friends, not mine. They respected me because Thor respected me. No longer. Second, this had to be done in order to secure whatever loose ends there are to stop me from destroying that race of monsters."

"The Frost Giants seek out redemption, as do you," said Vyperia. "What makes you so certain that Thor will not find a way back into Asgard and show his people who you really are?"

"Is this a wave of a guilty conscience? Because," said Loki, still calmly, "I remember you telling Laufey that you had no intention of giving back your title as queen. Your guilt lies in the balance of your duties as goddess. They no longer apply since I am King. You can bury those feelings with the idea that you are forgiven."

"If Thor comes back and Odin awakens, they will know what you tried to do."

"There is _no_ try; it will happen." Loki retorted.

He leaned forward and grabbed the bottle. Vyperia watched him pour the wine into her glass.

"It is treason," muttered Vyperia without looking at him.

Loki held her glass in his hand. He stopped pouring when she uttered those three words. He sighed and leaned back in his seat, becoming impatient. Loki took her glass in his hand and drained the wine in his mouth, perhaps attempting to salvage the oncoming argument with his own attempt to calm his nerves.

"Vyperia," he said after he licked his lips, "there is nothing wrong here. Everything is as it should be. You are _the_ queen of Asgard"—he indicated a hand to her—"and isn't that what you wanted? Would you give it all back _willingly_ if Thor returned and Odin awakened?"

"No." Vyperia admitted.

"Exactly. Then why torture yourself with these thoughts?" he rose to his feet.

"The Warriors Three said that I would be exiled if Odin awakened," Vyperia remarked, looking up at him.

"I have no intention of having him killed," Loki said seriously.

"What?" asked Vyperia, staring at him.

"_No_," said Loki incredulously.

He laughed slightly.

"What sort of king do you think that I am?" Loki remarked. "It is all a trick, a prank, a folly. Laufey intends to kill him; but I intend to stop him. When Odin awakes, I would have destroyed Jotunheim—something Odin and Thor could never do. He will see that _I'm_ the worthy son, capable of running a throne that Thor does not want."

"He will exile me even if he _wants_ you to do this," said Vyperia anxiously.

"No, he won't. You have played your part well, have you not? The loyal queen, the faithful wife—it is part of the plan, pet."

Vyperia passed a hand over her face.

Loki strode around the table.

"I have thought about this at length, Vyperia," he said. He reached for her hand. Vyperia rose to her feet and stepped away from him. He looked at her as if she had rejected him, and she did.

"No, no, no," Vyperia said quickly. "This is wrong, this is bad…Loki, _this_ is terrible. Darling, you speak of searching for Odin's approval—but you sent that Destroyer to kill your brother. This is _wrong_."

"This is what it should be," Loki told her seriously.

"What will happen if they realize the truth? You could be _killed_ for this!" Vyperia breathed.

"Calm down," soothed Loki, approaching her.

"No, you don't see the impact that this could have on the Nine Realms. It's not taking care of loose ends. You want to destroy the whole planet. Loki, that is—"

Loki steadied her shaking head with his hands on either side of her face, his lips only a few inches from her.

"Now, Darling, shh…"

She looked at him with worried eyes.

"Vyperia, do not lose your focus."

"Loki, this is _madness_."

"Is it?" Loki told her softly.

Her eyes widened.

"Loki, please. Reconsider what you are doing…what you are about to do."

Loki uttered an empty chuckle.

"Have you lost your nerve?" he asked her quietly.

"This is not a _joke_," Vyperia hissed at him.

"Yes, well, it never was," remarked Loki.

Vyperia pried his hands from her face.

"You sent a monster to kill your brother. You ordered for it to kill Sif and the Warriors Three. You want the Frost Giants to enter Asgard only so that you can _kill_ them yourself. And you take a step further and want to blow up that planet? Loki, that is _not_ justice. That is murder. You're not better than Odin when he wiped out the Dark Elves!"

"Is it any better than what you do every day?" he said coldly.

"What?"

"As your duty as a goddess of guardianship, is it not your duty to decide who lives and dies?"

"That's not the _same thing_—"

"Oh, my pet, it _is_ the same thing; except this time, you can't turn your back on this." Loki said evenly. "You want to mean something to Asgard, but you are not willing to take the right steps to do it. _This_ will stop everyone from speaking such disgusting falsities behind your back. This is what needs to be done."

Vyperia shook her head. She turned away from him. Her stomach churned with anxiety, helplessness, and overwhelming fear.

"What have we done?" she whispered.

"There is _nothing_ that you can do to stop it, Vyperia."

"This is a crime. This is treason…"

Loki grabbed her arm and pulled her towards him; she gasped as he held her so close. His eyes penetrated hers.

"How many times must I tell you? This is _not_ treason!"

"You want acceptance and truth; this is not the way to get that. You risk the lives of everyone here—you want the throne, but it was never yours to have! Odin said that it is your birthright—but you said it yourself. He never wanted a Frost Giant sitting on the throne of As—!"

Loki clasped a hand over her mouth to stop her from speaking any further.

"Stop. Stop right _there_." Loki hissed at her.

Vyperia uttered a small cry as he silenced her.

He glanced over her shoulder to see a guard standing by, entering without invitation. Loki didn't remove his hand from Vyperia's mouth; instead, he peered at the soldier, agitated.

"Sir," said the guard hesitantly, "I heard raised voices. Is everything all right?"

"Everything is fine," Loki said coldly. "Be on your way."

"Your Highness, I—"

"_Now, guard!"_

Vyperia heard the guard's footsteps leave. Loki looked at her. She stared at him, shocked by his behavior. Loki lowered her hand from her lips. He observed her carefully. She was definitely petrified as his revealing news. He slowly released her. Vyperia crossed her arms tightly, frightened.

"Do not think for one instant that your importance to me was put aside in order for me to get here," Loki said, his voice trembling with simmering anger. "I was thinking of your safety and _your_ significance the entire time."

"Then think of me now." Vyperia said, straightening. "_Please. Don't. Do. This."_

Loki considered her for a moment.

He stepped away from her.

"I'm going to bed, Vyperia. There is nothing more to be said between us."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"What you are asking me to do is to throw away everything that we have worked for in the last two weeks because you can't bear to see a few creatures die for our cause."

"They aren't a few, Loki. They are hundreds. Thousands. A…An entire race should perish because you desire a throne?"

"It is _my_ birthright!" Loki said angrily.

Vyperia winced as he said this, wounded by the pain in his face.

"It was taken from me when those precious Jotuns of yours abandoned me on a frozen rock, left to die. If you love them so much, go to Jotunheim and perish with them."

Vyperia's mouth hung open in pain.

He didn't apologize.

He said nothing.

He turned on his heel and walked away from her, unable to stand in the same room with Vyperia any longer.


	33. A Mother's Counsel

Silver and Scales

Chapter Thirty-Three: A Mother's Counsel

Frigga left Odin's bedside and strolled down the corridor in the opposite direction. As ever, she was draped in beautiful blue robes, swept across her feet like regal train. She might have given her crown to her son's wife, but she still possessed the proper elegance of a matriarch who once held her Realm proudly in her hands. She was more than willing to permit one of the finer women to chaperone Asgard into glory while the All-Father slept. If he would not awaken, Frigga would mourn; but she would be comforted that her home for many years was in the rightful hands of Loki and Vyperia.

At the stroke of midnight, Frigga began to pass the entrance of the dining hall—that was until she heard the small bequeathing breaths of a female voice, sobbing in an empty room. Frigga's brow furrowed as she poked her head in to see if it was a damsel whose heart was broken, or it was one of the servant girls who had accidentally broken a plate and dreaded exile.

These days, the younger ladies of Asgard were rather fragile; they tended to be soft-hearted, as all women should be. No woman should have to harden when they are in puberty.

Frigga's hand settled on the door frame, stepping further inside to observe the back of a blonde woman's head which was bowed. Frigga noticed that the young maiden was sitting at the table, shoulders hunched, and crying.

She entered.

Frigga's soft footsteps, not unlike Loki's, approached the chair which sat the forlorn maiden.

"Dear girl, why do you weep?" asked Frigga compassionately.

Frigga was puzzled when Vyperia lifted her head from her crossed arms. Her eyes were red and puffy. Her cheeks were tear-stained. Frigga's gaze melted into sympathy. Vyperia looked up at her. Frigga sighed.

"Why are you crying, dear?"

Vyperia turned her head away from Frigga. Instead of answering, the Queen of Asgard wrapped her fingers around her goblet and drank from it the wine that Loki had poured into it earlier. Vyperia's eyes, though reddened from grief, persevered into distilled anger. Frigga recognized such a look and sighed patiently.

Frigga drew up a chair beside her.

"No one," she began calmly, "ever gives the queen a manual in order to rule by her husband's side."

"I'm not sad."

"Don't lie to me."

Vyperia met Frigga's eyes.

"It is perfectly all right to feel stressed," Frigga consoled. She set a comforting hand on Vyperia's arm. "These are difficult times. Why not go to Loki, Vyperia? He is talented in the words of peace…"

"It is he who gives me stress," muttered Vyperia, disgruntled.

Frigga consumed this with the nod of her head.

"Do you think that drinking will make your problem disappear? It is a warrior's last resort and a fool's first."

"I am a bit of both; so this suits me properly, doesn't it?" Vyperia said unhappily. She took the goblet once more in her hand. Frigga's fingers parted the glass from reaching her lips. Vyperia looked at her swiftly, first with annoyance; then as she saw the maternal gaze in Frigga's eyes, Vyperia lowered the glass to the table.

"I have always known that Loki would choose you as his queen," said Frigga softly. "If I were not his mother, I would have guessed that you were his other half."

"But you're not his mother, are you?" retorted Vyperia tactlessly.

Frigga's brow furrowed, obviously hurt. However she forgave the snipe from her daughter-in-law, assuming that Vyperia's sense of conduct had slowly washed away from intoxication. It was not like Vyperia to drown her troubles in mead and wine. Usually, her anger was thrown into violent arguments; though the object of her anger was often Thor. Frigga took in a sigh of patience.

"Is this what has you upset, my dear?" asked Frigga gently.

"_Why_ didn't you tell Loki when he was younger about his true parentage? Why didn't you break Odin's rule and tell Loki yourself? _Why didn't you_?" asked Vyperia, agitated.

"I told you as I told Loki: it was to protect him—"

"From what he is, I know that. _There is nothing wrong with him_," Vyperia said irritably.

"I know."

"Is that why Odin made it forbidden to step into Jotunheim? Is that why? So Loki would never come to know that he is a Frost Giant?"

"I did not think that this bothered you so much."

"It has _always_ bothered me. 900 years of secret-keeping, of—of constantly telling me to never let slip that he and Thor are not true brothers…" Vyperia blurted out with contempt. "You gave that responsibility to a young girl—a child—_me—_and you knew how much it was killing me. Then to see his face when I told him…"

She trailed off.

Frigga gazed at the quieted Vyperia for a soft minute. She reached for Vyperia's half-emptied goblet and placed into the Queen's open hand.

"Drink it, dear."

"What good has it done me now?"

"Just do as I ask?" Frigga suggested innocently.

Vyperia shrugged, still bruised by the conversation, and dipped the alcohol into her mouth. Frigga watched her drink for a split second.

"I know," said Frigga tenderly, "that it must have been painful to tell him the truth…"

"It broke my heart," Vyperia remarked with absent tears on her voice. The sincerity in her voice urged a compassionate gaze from Frigga.

Frigga's hand consolingly stroked her arm.

"I don't enjoy hurting him," Vyperia said with a slight shake of her head. "_He_ was heart-broken when I told him the truth. Loki has changed, Frigga; he has because he has realized that he has been fed a lie his _entire_ life. His birthright that he craves so much—_has_ craved—was a lie…"

"No, Loki was _meant_ to be a king."

"To what end, Frigga?" Vyperia questioned the former queen of Asgard with rotten spite on her tongue. She pulled her arm away from Frigga's comforting hand. "Thor was Odin's heir, not Loki. It was an empty promise; and _you_ fed that to him all his life. _You_ could have told him; and instead, you burdened _me_ with that opportunity. He finds it hard to trust me because he doesn't know what else I'm keeping from him."

Frigga looked upon Vyperia with empathy, hearing the forlorn words of Vyperia spill out of her mouth like water from a broken vase. Her beauty, her arrogance, and her overall grandstanding were shattered there in front of Frigga as Vyperia unleashed her boiled spite at the table.

"How would you feel if Odin stopped trusting you? How would you prove to him that you were worthy to stand by his side?"

"I would ask him for forgiveness."

"I have done so," Vyperia muttered, shaking her head. A ghostly smile appeared on her face, a mirthless chuckle followed. "He still suspects me of treachery…"

"Vyperia, what happened between the two of you in the last few hours?" asked Frigga, concerned. "What has broken your collective state? Never have I seen you so angry."

"Never have I _felt_ so angry," Vyperia hissed.

"You mustn't keep these feelings bottled in; your anger could destroy you."

"And if my lover held none of his trust with me after this day, why not?" Vyperia said with afterthought, gazing into the circling red fluid within her glass.

"It is not like you to put your life on the dependence of men, my child." Frigga said mildly.

"He is not _just_ a man," Vyperia remarked. "There _are_ no men like him…"

She raised the goblet to her lips again and drank from it.

"I came to you," said Frigga, "because I believed that you were a servant girl who might have fled for safety in the comfort of an empty room. I come to find that it the Queen of Asgard who sits alone, weeping in the arms of a heavy drink. What would the Asgardians think if they saw you, here, drunk?"

"I'm not drunk…not yet," added Vyperia as she refilled her empty glass. "Care to join me?"

"Darling, with all due respect—and I mean it—you should find comfort with Loki."

"He…doesn't…" said Vyperia slowly in annoyance, "want me…around. He walked away while we were arguing."

"Men say the meanest things when they are in the most pain," Frigga whispered.

"Well, I can't say that I was the nicest person in our fight," replied Vyperia. "What should I do? Go to him and beg for forgiveness. There comes a time when I am the one who deserves the apology."

"_Do_ you deserve to be told 'I'm sorry'? Do you deserve to be begged at your feet because you were right?"

"I wasn't wrong," muttered Vyperia passive-aggressively.

"Darling, men do not know that they hurt you until you say something…"

"I'm _certain_ that Loki knows." Vyperia retorted coldly.

_If you love them so much, go to Jotunheim and perish with them._

"When we fight," said Vyperia, "we attack each other where it hurts us the most."

_He told me that my birth right was to be a king. I am an Asgardian. Tell me that you are lying!_

"He knows _exactly_ how to hurt me," Vyperia told Frigga with a broken voice, "but I take ownership in our fights. I'm not better than he is…"

_Should I wander into Jotunheim and beg for them to take you back as their equal when they, too, had abandoned you as a baby?_

Vyperia drained her glass in one gulp.

"We are lethal to each other."

"Men," began Frigga, reclaiming her hand on Vyperia's arm, "are creatures of habit. They fight. They argue. They say things that can hurt the women that they love. Men attack their lovers where it hurts because they, too, are in pain. It is the rough palette of a man to hide behind his strength and dexterity, to never show the vulnerability that lies underneath the anger. It is pain. It is there." She lowered the glass from Vyperia's lips. "But _you_ must find the strength in yourself to move past that hard exterior and speak to him."

_You're not better than Odin when he wiped out the Dark Elves!_

_Is it not your duty to decide who lives and dies?_

_That's not the same thing—_

_It is the same thing; except this time, you can't turn your back on this._

_He never wanted a Frost Giant sitting on the throne of Asgard!_

Vyperia gazed at Frigga.

"We had one of the worst arguments that we've ever had since I've known him, Frigga," she said with incomprehensible depth. "How could he possibly forgive me?"

"He loves you." Frigga answered. "As Odin would forgive me if I spoke crude words upon a wicked tongue. He would do it out of love."

Vyperia exhaled slowly and looked into her emptied goblet.

"If that does not console you," continued Frigga soothingly, "then perhaps this will. Think of your last words to him; and his last words to you. Would you want that to be your last farewell if he should die tomorrow, Vyperia?"

Frigga gave her a motherly smile and patted her arm before rising to her feet.

"Think about what I said. Act as you will; but never forget this: you have been Queen for only a short time, but ever have you been the one woman within whom Loki entrusted his secrets _and_ his time. You mean more to him than you know, my daughter. You must remember that."

Vyperia gave her a weak smile as Frigga left her.

The Queen of Asgard sighed slowly. She refilled her glass once more and drank it down without another word, left alone in the silence of the dining hall once more.


	34. Circling the Drain

Silver and Scales

Chapter Thirty-Four: Circling the Drain

Loki's light eyes searched the heavens from behind the eight foot window along the wall of the bedroom chambers. He had dressed down from his green and gold armor the moment he had passed the threshold of the door frame. The moonlight, bright and beautiful as it was every night paled his chest and forearms as he leaned against the window pane. In his hand was a full glass of something that he had picked out of a full drawer of wine. The name brand meant little, just as long as it provided the proper numb feeling to stop the excessive thoughts that burrowed into his consciousness.

The emblem of his gaze was centered upon the Bifrost, toward Heimdall's Observatory, but his mind was elsewhere. He didn't need answers to his questions as to why Vyperia had reacted so out of character. Loki had rifled through their conversation at dinner repeatedly; he understood that she hadn't fully grasped the gravity of his intentions. She feared for his life and for hers. While she always seemed to be wrapped around his fingers—ever present to bend to his will whether it was dangerous or innocuous—Loki knew, deep down, that he didn't want her to leave him. It was out of a child-like need that he wanted her to stay with him.

She would desperately fall in love with him all over again if he wiped her memory and started anew. Would he fall for her as well, as hard as he had done when they fought together on the battlefield? Would the same spell come over him when he saw that crooked smile on her face? Or would he simply turn his back on her like the other maidens who crossed his path?

Loki turned his gaze away from the Observatory to peer down at the swimming amber liquid that swirled in his glass.

He solemnly regretted what he had said to her at dinner. Loki felt the same stirring of anger and jealousy that had always plagued the inside of his character when she had defended the Frost Giants—their _home_… If she was so loyal to him, it was her duty to step away from Jotunheim and let what should happen become apparent.

Yet even as he thought of this, even as his eyes smoldered at the thought of Vyperia helping the Jotuns in their time of need, he doubted that she ever meant to take their side. Wasn't his duty as king, too, to hear his wife's outbreak about justice? Perhaps he had acted so rashly, and now he solely favored her words over his.

He wouldn't stop it, though. Loki intended to have Thor killed. Jotunheim would slowly rip apart and kill the Frost Giants, then Odin would see it clearly as he had never done before. Whether he was of the Asgardian heritage or a Jotun, Loki intended to keep what was rightfully his…one way or another.

Loki inhaled a deep sigh and raised the glass to his lips.

He had tried to sleep. Certainly, he must have closed his eyes several times to have that slumber that was favored by all ages of Asgardians. Yet, even as he would, he found himself searching the minds of others around him for the one voice that would grant him eternal bliss. It was always Vyperia.

Maybe she had no idea of how much affect that she had on Loki, but words couldn't describe the strength that she gave him. Why else would he have led her to his destinations? He didn't require her presence at Jotunheim to confront Laufey. Easily, he would have walked into Laufey's temple with nothing but determination on his palette, ready to strike a deal. Yet, he took her with him. He didn't need her to be beside him when he confronted Heimdall, but still, Vyperia was there to witness it.

Loki frowned.

What was so frustrating was that he had his entire life shatter in front of him when he learned the somber truth about _what_ he was. His conflict was a matter of trying to prove to Odin that he _was_ worthy of the throne, especially since Thor refused to take it. It was his right. Loki didn't need his family anymore; he could rule Asgard with nary a tear in his eyes if his whole kingdom disappeared before his very eyes. This was a delusion, of course. Loki loved Thor, but what would anyone else do with that much pent-up rage and bottled jealousy? Bite his tongue, no…

Loki loved his mother—well…Frigga wasn't his mother. That much was true. Yet she was always the one out of his two parents who treated him as an equal; so he had no qualms with her. It was her love that kept the Odinsons together when the All-Father favored Thor unequally.

And…

Loki felt the familiar tension in his stomach as he thought of her.

Vyperia's love as well…She, too, meant so much to him. Yet he treated her as if she was some common servant girl, especially in the dining hall. Why would a man who holds his lover in the highest regard treat her so badly?

This troubled him as well. His pain was great, and she sought out to help him as much as she could; and he would turn her away when she came too close to solving his problems.

Loki drank from the glass again.

He hadn't considered the array of emotion that swam within him. Most of the time, he shoved them away like mere parcels of news that didn't require his attention. Emotion could kill a person without having so much touch them. Loki considered this.

Grief, anger, jealousy, pride, ambition, heartache…

Those were the strongest of feelings.

How did Vyperia keep so calm and collected whenever he caused her grief? When she was angry? When she was heart-broken…

Loki's mind raced. He knew exactly how broken she was at the moment. He had heard her cries as he had walked away from her. He had pursued her thoughts when Loki had settled into the bed. Even more so when he had seen the emptiness at his side when he had turned to look at her.

_It is he who gives me stress._

_There is nothing wrong with him._

Loki's eyes furrowed as he somberly recalled her echoed words to his mother—to Frigga. They haunted his thoughts, though he could never admit it openly.

_You gave that responsibility to a young girl…you knew how much it was killing me. Then to see his face when I told him…_

Loki took the glass to his lips once more…

_I don't enjoy hurting him._

He uttered another sigh, one of deepest remorse. When he thought that she could understand him less of all, it was Vyperia who understood _everything_ about him.

_Never have I felt so angry._

Would she forgive him? She would ask for his forgiveness, and was she not the better man to step forward and admit that she was wrong? Would she be able to see past his apathetic appearance and know that he was truly sorry for what he said? This burdened him. Loki scorned himself as he considered just how much of a hold that she had on him.

He had prided himself in the mannerisms and the power that he had over the servant girls and the maidens of the hold. Loki was the god of mischief, and he would always tangle in the emotions of the heart-broken girls and boys of the castle in his youth. They would feel so secure…

Loki's silver tongue proceeded in its reputation, but what would break the hold that Vyperia had on him? There were so many things that could be wrong with her! She was cunning, scornful, and possibly a hypocrite! The beauty that she had was a constant heartache in the eyes of Man on Midgard. No, wait. That's not a bad thing…

Loki looked out the window as he felt his stomach turn…

She was beautiful like his mother—no, not mother, _Frigga…_and just as patient. A gentle spirit…Wasn't that how the Warriors Three described her? Vyperia was usually calm, and yet there was fire that always roared inside of her. Maybe that's what he liked about her. What anger that he could rise from Vyperia was something to be valued; very rare was she _truly_ enraged.

_What more is there to say? What else can I do? WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?_

Loki smiled slightly.

_What little effect I have on you!_

She was wrong, of course. She meant a great deal to him. He granted her the frustration. It was hard for her to distinguish if he was playing with her emotions for a simple fiefdom (_because he took great pleasure in doing so) _or if he was being sincere. In fact, almost everyone had that little problem. Loki took small pleasure when that thought crossed his mind.

He was half-serious when he had propositioned her with the idea that she might prefer Thor over Loki. While Loki had always believed that there was some meager attraction between Vyperia and Thor, he would always assume that she cared not for the blunt and arrogant ways of the God of Thunder. That's why they argued so much. Vyperia was the gentle spirit who would choose diplomacy over battle while Thor punched his way out: hit first, ask questions later.

Vyperia only became tempered when she learned that he sent the Destroyer to kill Thor because, Loki knew, that deep down she believed that he would love Thor as an equal. Who would murder his brother out of something other than a swift gain for power or identity?

Loki raised his glass to his lips once more.

He sighed deeply as the amber mead poured through his parted lips, though he took no satisfaction within the drink. Loki's mind prattled on the matters of the heart. He thought of Vyperia.

_What is a king without a queen?_

_Is this one of your riddles, Loki?_

_I play tricks, not riddles._

_Your tricks are wordless riddles; and so exist._

Loki pushed back against the window and strode toward the bed. He sat down upon the mattress slowly, lost in thought. Even as she spoke his name, there was the tinge of excitement. She was more than just a pretty face. She did more than just entrance him.

She was captivating.

_Don't ever lay down your life to protect me. It is foolish to risk two heartbeats when one can survive._

That was what he had told her after one of their arguments. Loki remembered exactly what she had said to him because it touched him empathetically; and there was a meaning to it.

_What if,_ Vyperia had said with a voice just above a whisper, _the heartbeat that survived…stopped when she realized that her heart died with him?_

Loki lowered his glass to the end table. He palmed his face with both of his hands, sighing stressfully as he reiterated her words through his mind. Loki was troubled. He couldn't get her out of his head.

Then he heard a soft knock upon the bedroom door, quiet and unguided. Loki raised his head and looked upon the closed door with hesitation.

"Who calls upon his king?" he said loudly.

The door opened. He rose to his feet immediately when he saw that it was Vyperia.

"One who will leave if her king should ask that of her," she answered.

"Vyperia…"

"Don't…_speak_," she whispered.

Her voice quaked with anger. Loki's expression died as she swayed on the spot. He gazed at her with shock and disapproval.

She was drunk.

Loki stood still as she closed the door, huddled against it as the knob was the only thing that was holding her upright. Never had Loki seen Vyperia so fallen apart. His expression faltered when he remembered that it was he who put her into this situation.

Loki stepped forward with his hands out in front of him, ready to catch her if she should fall.

"_Oh_…" Vyperia's voice sniped with derisive empathy; her eyes summarily gathered his facial expression and his slow movement toward her, "So the_ king_ of Asgard finally feels some candid emotion for his _wife._"

"You are not thinking straight." Loki said softly.

"I should think not." Vyperia remarked.

She raised a hand to present to him the empty bottle of wine from the table. In his open palms, Vyperia shoved the hallow container into his hands. She walked pass him.

"I might have taken the last drop of that. _Sorry_," she added waspishly.

Loki set aside the bottle carelessly.

"I don't care about the wine."

"I'm surprised that you care about anything, let alone yourself," Vyperia droned, glancing at him from over her shoulder. "You are _so_ quick to point out the faults of my person, dear King, but have you ever turned that keen perception upon yours."

Loki watched her stagger toward the bed. She pulled off her robes with sloppy grace.

"I wanted to speak to you," said Loki.

"Is that what you call it?" she muttered with passive contempt.

"I'm being sincere about this," Loki told her patiently. "I'm given some thought."

"How do I know that you are sincere with me? What," said Vyperia wryly as she rose to her feet, "makes you think that I want to hear you right now? I'm drunk, but I still know that your tongue is as silver as the fork that I used at dinner…though it's not as shiny," she added as a side note.

Vyperia turned. She pulled off the underdress and stood in the middle of the room, half-naked. Loki understood that she was incredibly pissed, but that didn't stop her from looking so beautiful.

"I know how your mind works, Loki. You're not tricking anybody…" Vyperia remarked.

"Listen to me," Loki began gently, approaching her, "I know that I hurt you"—Vyperia made an unflattering snort—"I _realize_ that now, Vyperia."

She leaned forward and began to unfasten her heels.

"So my King desires an audience; how…_unimpressive,"_ she muttered. "What will you have me do, Loki? Sit upon your lap and hear you proclaim your love to me while I dote on your words…? You'd like that, wouldn't you?"

He stared at her.

Vyperia could be a sweetheart, but she had the capability of being rather nasty too. Loki wasn't used to being on the receiving end of her snake-bitten words. It was always Thor…Maybe that's why he would resolve to violence. Her words were more fatal than her brutality.

"You're angry, I know," Loki said softly, attempting to keep that inner beast contained. "I've hurt you."

"_Yes," _she said, meeting his gaze. "You did."

With that note, he fell silent as she kicked her heels off her feet and strode pass him to her wardrobe. Loki passed a hand over his face to remain calm.

"He could have the throne, the moon, and the stars," muttered Vyperia disdainfully, "but when his wife offers him everything, he shoots her down like an apple core from a tree…"

She pulled herself clumsily out of her lower gowns. Vyperia took a night dress and pulled it over her head. She was halted by the straps around her arms, becoming tangled up in the simple silky mess. Loki watched her struggle for a minute. He sighed and stepped up from behind.

He wordlessly fixed the tangling of her limbs and the dress. It fell over her naked breasts and panties. Vyperia looked at him for a moment after he had assisted her.

"I didn't need your help." Vyperia snapped at him. He met her apathetic gaze. When he said nothing in return, her eyes smoldered. "_Doesn't that hurt coming from somebody else?"_

She pushed him in the shoulder as Vyperia walked pass him. He reacted to it, swaying, but didn't fight her. Loki turned to watch her step toward the window.

"Vyperia…"

She didn't look at him. Her eyes focused elsewhere other than him.

"Vyperia, Darling…"

"Don't speak to me," she hissed scornfully. "I don't want to hear your voice."

He strode toward her.

"Why won't you heed what I say?" she muttered.

"Vyperia—"

"—_stop—"_

"—I'm sorry."

She looked at him, taken aback.

"_What?"_ she whispered.

"I'm sorry," he reiterated.

He took her hands in his; she pulled away from him, leaving his hands opened as she stepped aside.

"Don't _apologize_ to me," she said scathingly. "You _hurt_ me."

"I said what I said to you out of anger. I meant nothing by it."

"_How many times have you told a person to die,_ Loki?" said Vyperia, pained.

"Darling…"

"_You—" _She poked him roughly in the chest, making him step back—"_You_ told me to go to Jotunheim and _perish_ with them. _As if I mean so little to you_!"

Loki stepped away from her. They circled the bed,

"_Do you realize how much that hurt, Loki Odinson?_"

She cried out to him furiously. They ended up on the other side of the room as she fiercely approached him; he backed up into the farthest wall, hands in front of him.

"How was I to know that—?" Loki asked, but she shook her head and stabbed in the chest with a finger,

"_Don't you say a word! I deserve a proper apology!"_

Loki stared at her incredulously.

"But I did apologize…"

"_You apologized to me because you want me to melt in your arms._ I _know_ you!" Vyperia said angrily. She stepped away from him. He straightened as she gave him extra girth. "You're so full of it. So conniving and so all put-together! When are you ever going to show me some sincere emotion! _What hold do I have on you, really? Do I have nothing to use against you?"_

"Vyperia, I—"

"_I said that I didn't want to hear you!" _Vyperia snapped, rounding on him.

Loki might have towered over her a few inches, but the rage on her face was actually a bit more than he was used to—especially coming from a woman whose size was very small.

"Your _mother_," she breathed (and he could practically tastes the alcohol on her breath), "comes to me in the guise of a sympathy voter, tells me to go to you for comfort…_And what do I get? A crockery about apologies and tenderness…"_

Vyperia stepped away from him again. Loki merely stood where he was.

"Power changes people," she muttered. "Power changes everything. It changed you; it changed me. We are not the same persons anymore. You've become this dictator who uses his words against those who trust him."

She turned to look at him.

"You are tyrant, Loki. You want the entire Realm to bow to you without question. You want an audience to see your grandeur, to worship you—not as a king—but a god. You are _not_ god on Asgard, Loki," Vyperia told him seriously. "You are Loki of Asgard, Protector of the Nine Realms, _King_ of Asgard."

"Am I not a god in _your_ eyes, Vyperia?" asked Loki hesitantly.

"You are a fool," she muttered.

He stared at her.

"You are a fool because you want the entire Realm to know _who_ you are; and you are afraid of what you have become. Jotunheim is but the first of the races to fall for your childish need and desires. You have nothing in your heart to prove to Odin that you are worthy of the throne, except years of jealousy."

"You didn't explain this to me when you were sober," Loki said cynically. He did not take pleasure in hearing all of this, especially while she was intoxicated.

"I don't like hurting you," she said. "I keep all of it to myself. I bottle it. I hold it."

"Why have you never confessed these opinions to me?"

Vyperia's eyes weakened.

"Because I know that you would look at me like that," she pointed to him weakly and turned away.

A silence came over them.

Vyperia raised a hand to the temple of her head, massaging an upcoming headache. Already, she was sobering. The pain steadily drew near and she flopped down onto the bed, meek and worn. Loki sighed into the quiet darkness. He walked toward her slowly, hoping that her furious rage had slowly tamed. Loki sat down beside her on the bed.

He gave her a solemn look, recognizing the pain that was present in her face. Her fury left her as soon as the headache had come. Now Vyperia sat beside him as if all energy was sucked out of her.

"I _am_ truly sorry."

She glanced at him with a small smile.

"How do I know that you're telling me the truth, Silver Tongue?"

He matched her weak smile.

"Do you still love me?" he asked her.

"Yes." Vyperia answered with a slow nod. "I still love you."

She uttered a small mirthful chuckle.

"What will I ever do with you, Loki?" Vyperia cooed.

He merely grinned.


	35. Fallen

Silver and Scales

Chapter Thirty-Five: Fallen

"Vyperia."

"Hm?"

"It's time."

The darkness eluded Vyperia and Loki in the bedroom, lying on their backs, sprawled on the bedroom. His voice disrupted the heavy silence between them. Though as he said his final word, Vyperia looked at him with minor shock and sat up-right, grasping his meaning.

"That frightens me."

"There is no need to be frightened."

"Loki, I suppose there is no way of persuading you otherwise, but…"

Vyperia gazed down at Loki, whose head was cradled in his hands. His eyes, which had staring up at the ceiling for the last half hour, detoured to meet hers. He recognized that anxious expression on her face.

"It must be done," he muttered. "There was never a chance of turning back."

Vyperia sighed shakily.

"What must I do?"

"Wait with Mother in Odin's chambers. Make certain that the Frost Giants do not harm her; and be careful."

Vyperia passed a weary hand over her face. Loki sat up; he stopped her shaken image with a hand on her cheek. He steadied the panic in her eyes. Vyperia turned her head in his hand and kissed the tips of fingers. He smiled at her.

"I know that you are frightened," said Loki. "Everything will follow as planned. Do you still trust me?"

"Always." Vyperia answered truthfully.

Loki brought her forehead to his lips.

"Then you have nothing to fear," he said against her heated skin.

Vyperia smiled; Loki was relieved to see that empowered look on her face. He released her, and she slid off the bed. Vyperia dressed into her casual robes. Loki followed suit and went to his side of the room where he started to gather each piece of armor onto his being. Even as he did so, Vyperia watched him with pride.

He might have been willing to destroy Jotunheim; but even now, she couldn't deny that the confidence that he was radiating was toxic. They dressed quickly.

The Frost Giants would be awaiting for entry into Asgard to carry out the agreement.

When they were dressed for 'unexpected' company, they met each other at the bedroom door.

"Darling, _please_ be on time," strained Vyperia. "I don't want to have to calm Frigga after she sees Odin being slayed in front of her…"

"Everything will be fine," Loki assured her.

"Give me your word," said Vyperia sternly.

Loki smiled at her, for she portrayed that strict anxiety once more.

"Your _word_," repeated Vyperia tightly.

Loki cradled her cheek and brought her mouth to his lips with one final kiss. She kissed him back, pulling him close to close the gap between them. After an enduring embrace, Vyperia slowly pulled away. The smile returned to him and he said with a soothing voice,

"My word, pet."

Vyperia, satisfied, nodded and walked out of the room.

Loki watched her retreating back as she disappeared around the corner.

Vyperia's stomach churned unpleasantly as she darted down the corridors to head into Odin's chambers. By the time she reached the doors, she was out of breath. The doors opened and Vyperia entered. Frigga was once more at Odin's bedside, ever loyal and present. Frigga looked up from Odin's pale, bearded face to see Vyperia panting against the doors.

"What's wrong?"

Vyperia chuckled breathlessly and waved that question aside.

"What? Oh," she wheezed and straightened. "It's nothing. I just…" she stepped forward. "I thought that—thought that you would like to know that…we made—we made up. It's all swell between Loki and me…He apologized. Who would guess that, hm?"

Vyperia played off her anxiety as unnerved happiness as she closed the doors behind her. Frigga seemed to be convinced of the façade, split between amusement and puzzlement.

"Oh…" Frigga began, confused, but she lightened, "Well, that is wonderful!"

"_Isn't it?_" breathed Vyperia, doubling over.

"Dear, you should sit down. I didn't realize that you were so enthusiastic about this…"

Frigga gestured to the seat opposite of her.

Vyperia sat down beside Odin.

"He seems to never move," she observed.

"The Odinsleep is like a catatonic slumber," remarked Frigga. "It's quiet. Restoration is peaceful, I imagine. Worries are cast out into the wind; conflict is absent…"

"Must be nice…" Vyperia muttered, wiping her brow where sweat had begun to gather.

"It must be," remarked Frigga with a smile. "Are you certain that you are all right? I've never seen you so high-strung."

"_High-strung, _no…" Vyperia shrugged off that high pitch in her voice as it was ludicrous to think that she was stressed. "No, I'm…calm. Collected. I am so relaxed that I could sleep for an eternity…"

Vyperia uttered a small chuckle.

"I know that it looks and sounds like I'm extremely anxious, but…" Vyperia leaned back in her seat. "I assure you, it is all happiness; except it is a little hard to contain this time around. The swelling will die down, I imagine. I'm _perfect_," she emphasized with a gesture indicating so.

Frigga cocked her head to the side suspiciously.

"Are you sure?"

"_Of course_," Vyperia remarked as her high-pitched voice came unbound.

Frigga and Vyperia sat quietly by Odin's side for several minutes…

Then Vyperia's stomach dropped when she heard shouts from the guards outside. Frigga looked up from her sleeping husband to gaze at the door. Vyperia's eyes widened fearfully as frost began to climb along the door's structure and the walls. Frigga rose to her feet and instinctively grabbed a sword from within Odin's bed stand. Vyperia slowly climbed out of her seat.

_Here we go…_

"Frigga," warned Vyperia as the door froze solid.

Then it was broken off its hinges and tossed aside like a rag doll. Vyperia jumped as the large doors clattered loudly upon the marble floor in the otherwise silent room. Two Frost Giants intruded; their blue skin contrasted to the golden yellows that surrounded them. Anyone could see that they were out of place.

"Out of my woman," breathed the deepest of voices.

Laufey.

The second Frost Giant stepped in front of Laufey and raised a large arm. Frigga took the sword bravely into her hands, clenched her teeth, and swung the sword around hard; it sliced gruesomely into the foot soldier's shoulder, drawing blood upon contact. He roared out of pain—he clubbed Frigga barbarically across the face and sent the former queen of Asgard flying across the room, temporarily unconscious.

Vyperia's face reddened in smoldered anger. Despite Loki's orders, Vyperia took up the fallen sword on the floor and stabbed the foot soldier in the heart, sliding easily through its muscled core. The Frost Giant cried out in agony as it slid all the way out of his body, jutting clear out the other side. He fell at her feet. Laufey and Vyperia met each other's menacing stare.

"_That_," said Laufey aggressively, indicating his dead bodyguard, "was not part of the bargain…"

"I didn't include knocking my mother-in-law _unconscious,_ did _I?_" retorted Vyperia darkly.

"Step aside, Snake."

Vyperia took a few steps back and sauntered over to the motionless Frigga. She cradled Frigga's head in her hands. Frigga's face was slowly bruising from the foot soldier's assault. Light red freckled her face. Vyperia uttered a low growl, enraged.

She looked toward to where Odin rested.

Laufey stood over the unconscious Odin, relishing the moment. Vyperia saw his hand make a swift motion; and ice blade formed in the middle of his palm. Laufey lowered his marked face to Odin. He towered over the All-Father, readied and grinning with delight.

"It's sad that you can still see and hear what transpires around you, even in this state," Laufey's icy voice crackled. "I hope that it's true, so that you may know that your death came by the hand of Laufey…"

Vyperia saw him slowly raise the ice blade above Odin's body. Vyperia glanced down in her arms to see that Frigga was stirring.

_Loki, where—?_

Her unfinished prayer was answered as a blast of energy caught Laufey roughly from behind and sent the Jotun king falling to the ground, several feet away from Odin. Vyperia grinned cheerfully as Loki lowered Gungnir from his line of sight; smoke evaporated from it as Laufey gasped in pain.

"And your death came by the son of Odin."

Frigga awoke and looked upon Loki with surprise and glee.

Vyperia helped Frigga to her feet. Loki aimed Gungnir at Laufey. In Laufey's face, Loki saw the instant betrayal and astonishment. In the next second, Loki fired Gungnir a second time; and Laufey burst into a pile of blackened ash. The Jotuns who had accompanied Loki stood at the doorway, shocked. Then they uttered guttural cries as they watched their king die before their eyes. Vyperia and Frigga came forward. Vyperia took up the sword at her feet; Frigga pulled a dagger from out of nowhere (Vyperia stared for a split-second: _oh, right, she taught Loki magic…)_.

The two shocked Frost Giants moved toward Asgard's king. Vyperia leapt up her target's shoulders, grabbled quickly around him and pulled his neck into a tight choke hold. He gasped as she constricted his air flow; he reached for her in his staggering restraint, attempting to give her that terrible frost bite. Vyperia plunged the sword into his shoulder blade—

She uttered a joyful cackle as the sword peeked out from the Frost Giant's chest. He fell to the floor. Loki strode toward her, grinning, and helped her to her feet. However, a third Frost Giant came upon them angrily. Loki stepped in front of Vyperia protectively and aimed Gungnir at the Jotun guard—

He halted in front of Loki with a face of shock and pain.

"What?" Vyperia muttered, confused…

Loki smirked as a sword emerged from the Jotun's waist. The brute fell forward at Loki's feet. Frigga came forward.

"Loki!" she breathed happily, running forward. She embraced her son tightly.

Vyperia gazed down at the bodies that surrounded them. Oh. What a mess.

"You saved his life!" Frigga said ectastically.

Loki returned the embrace, smiling. He held her at arm's length.

"I swear to you, Mother, that they will pay for what they've done today. I will end the Jotun threat." He was beaming. He turned to Odin, who still lay motionless. "…I will make you proud."

Loki savored the moment. Frigga regarded him with pride and respect. _Finally._

"LOKI!"

Vyperia's stomach dropped.

"Oh god…" she whispered regrettably.

The doors had burst open and Thor—once depraved of all his grandeur and power—stood before them with a fierce look in his eye. Vyperia glanced worriedly at Loki, who met her eyes with immediate understanding.

_This was not meant to happen…_

"Thor!" Frigga called her son's name, stunned and delighted to see him. She ran forward, out of Loki's arms, and threw hers around Thor's neck. Thor shortly hugged her, turning to face Vyperia and Loki. Frigga looked at her sons and picked up the rising tension between them. Frigga stepped forward and grabbed Vyperia around the arm, pulling her out of the line of fire.

Loki looked at Mjolnir in his brother's hand.

"Found its way back to you, did it?"

"No thanks to you," Thor remarked.

"What?" Frigga whispered.

"He lies," Vyperia said quickly.

Thor, who had stepped toward Loki to challenge him, momentarily halted to look upon Vyperia with a noted gaze. His eyes slightly upturned to the crown on Vyperia's head then looked at his brother.

"Ah, so you've married one of our friends and turn her against me as well…"

Thor indicated Frigga with his hammer,

"Tell Mother the truth," said Thor, "how you came to Midgard and told me that Father lay dead before your eyes. Tell her how you told me that she never wanted to see me again. _Tell her._"

Frigga looked to Loki, alarmed and confused.

"_What?"_ she gasped.

Frigga made to step forward, to calm the unbalanced tension between her dear sons; but Vyperia took Frigga's arm and pulled her back.

"You don't want to get involved in this…" Vyperia whispered.

Loki and Thor circled; Odin's casket was the only thing separating them. Loki held Gungnir tight in his hands, though he never betrayed a look of fear.

"They are lies," Vyperia called out in the room.

Loki glanced at her strictly. _Stay out of this._

"Why don't you tell her, Loki? How you sent the Destroyer to kill our friends to kill me?"

"It must have been enforcing Father's last command," breathed Loki.

"You're a talented liar, brother. Always have been," Thor said through gritted teeth.

Loki smiled.

"It's good to have you back"—then hardened to deadly seriousness—"Now if you excuse me, I have to destroy Jotunheim."

Loki suddenly raised Gungnir and fired point-blank at Thor. Frigga cried out in surprise as Thor was sent flying backward and smashed through the chamber walls. Vyperia heard Thor crash through wall after wall; she stepped away from Frigga to peer through the palace corridors. Thor had flown through the other side of the castle.

Loki strode forward.

"Excuse me, Mother," he said quickly, "I have some unfinished business with the Jotuns."

"Loki, no—"

He disregarded his Mother's pleading sentences to take Vyperia by her arm, pulling her forward.

"Stay here," he instructed Vyperia.

"You told me that if it were dangerous, I would come with you," Vyperia reminded him from days ago.

"Yes, I did; but this is something different," he told her briefly. He indicated Frigga with Gungnir, "Keep Mother here where she'll be safe."

"Why wouldn't it be for you?" Vyperia asked quickly.

He didn't answer her. Instead he turned on his heel and walked out of Odin's chambers.

Frigga turned to Vyperia.

"What has happened?" Frigga interrogated her. Her entire face was distraught as she realized that her sons were not simply fighting. They were at war with each other. "_Vyperia, answer me!"_

"There isn't a lot that I can do now," said Vyperia, gesturing toward the Thor-shaped holes in the walls.

"Oh, Odin, please wake up…" Frigga said worriedly. "Vyperia, you must do something!"

"_What can I do?"_ Vyperia snapped. "I am just as anxious as you are!"

"Stop Loki from destroying Jotunheim. His father would not want this!"

Vyperia studied Frigga's face, alit with genuine concern.

"By all accounts, his father would not want Jotunheim destroyed," said Vyperia, glancing at where Laufey had been lying before being slain.

Frigga sat beside Odin.

"Darling, hear me," she spoke to him with urgency. "_Please…_you must wake."

Vyperia sighed and closed her eyes.

Voices filled her head, many. Then her heart sank as she heard the cries and screams of the Jotuns who were being pulled and ripped apart. Loki had begun his destruction of Jotunheim. The Bifrost burrowed deep to the Realm's inner core and penetrated it with bursts of light and color, uprooting all that held the Realm together. Lives were being taken.

Then two voices came to her mind…Loki and Thor…

_You can't stop it. The Bifrost will build until it rips Jotunheim apart!_

_Why have you done this?_

_To do what Father never could, to destroy their kind forever._

_You can't kill an entire race…_

Vyperia registered Thor's empathetic voice with confusion. Where had he learn such a thing on Earth?

_What is this newfound love for the Frost Giants? You, who would have killed them all with your bare hands?_

_I've changed…_

_So have I…_

A pause.

_I never wanted the throne! I only wanted to be your equal!_

_I won't fight you, brother!_

_I'm _not_ your brother. Not anymore._

_Loki, this is _madness_!_

_Is it madness? Is it…? And what happened on Earth that has turned you so _soft?_ Don't tell me it was that woman!_

Vyperia opened her eyes. Of course, Thor met someone. A mortal love…

Frigga turned to see Vyperia sway on the spot.

"Vyperia, what are you doing?"

"I'm sorry, Frigga…I'm so sorry," said Vyperia quietly.

"Where are you going?" asked Frigga as Vyperia began to move.

"I'll do what I can!" she called, running out the door.

Loki was pinned down upon the Rainbow Bridge, Mjolnir pinning its weight upon Loki's chest. He struggled underneath the weight of it. In front of him, Thor's eyes watched with horror as the Bifrost tore through Jotunheim's surface. The Observatory was beginning to collapse on itself. While Loki was struggling beneath Mjolnir, he wore a smug look on his face as Thor trembled on the spot, searching for a solution that did not come to him.

How does one stop a Bifrost that is magically condemned to never cease?

"Look at you!" Loki said mockingly. His hands held the hammer weakly, attempting to pry the damn thing off his chest, but failing. "The _Mighty_ Thor! With _all_ your strength! _And what good does it do you now!?"_

Thor looked down at the Bridge beneath his feet, powerless to stop it. The vibrations beneath his feet from the force sped from the Bifrost energy to the Observatory.

Thor realized what he must do—and what he must sacrifice.

From the palace grounds, Vyperia ran across the concrete-strewn marble floor, racing to get to Loki and Thor where they were fighting. A plea of anxiety and desperation marked her beautiful face. It was Frigga who gave her the sudden epiphany that Loki could be in harm's way. Thor and Loki could be fighting to death. She didn't want to lose him. Not now. Vyperia was willing to go against Loki's orders—to know that he would probably hate her—but as long as he was alive. Her heels clattered against the floor as she ran outside, flying through the gardens. Then she reached the edge of the Rainbow Bridge.

Vyperia looked out to the distance. Light sparked and frazzled everywhere.

Something was wrong.

Thor extended his hand towards Loki. Mjolnir answered his master's call and flew to his grasp. Loki looked confused as he sat up weakly. His stomach dropped as Thor raised his hammer and slammed it into the Bridge. The blow was massive, and it rumbled the whole Bridge. A crack appeared where the blow struck. Loki rose to his feet.

"_What are you doing?_"

Vyperia's hair and robes started billow around her as she ran across the Bridge. Flecks of color from where her body points collapsed into the Bridge marked her steps, glimmering beneath her. The wind and force around her picked up as she saw that the Observatory was slowly being torn apart, but Thor was hammering at the Bridge repeatedly.

Vyperia heard Loki's voice call out to Thor with one attempt to stop him,

"_IF YOU DESTROY THAT BRIDGE, YOU'LL NEVER SEE HER AGAIN!"_

Loki collected Gungnir in his hands, rising to his feet.

"Loki!" Vyperia called to him.

Loki heard her voice and turned.

"I told you to stay—" he began angrily.

"_I know what you said!"_ Vyperia called over the growing thunder of the Bifrost. "But you don't know the effect that is having on Jotunheim!"

"_I know exactly what is happening!"_ Loki said to her. "Victory."

Loki ran toward Thor, Gungnir tightly wound in his hands, ready to pierce Thor through the back. Thor summoned every bit of strength that he had left, raised Mjolnir one last time, and brought it down into the Bridge with a final, terrible blow—

Vyperia screamed as the Bifrost shattered, the rainbow energy exploded, and it sent Loki and Thor hurling into the air by the force of the blast. A wave of destruction moved forward along the Bridge toward the Observatory, breaking it apart as it slowly fell into the wormhole beneath the Bridge.

Vyperia ran forward as Loki and Thor began to fall pass the Bridge. She felt a body rush past her.

"Vyperia, grab them!"

Odin All-Father pulled Vyperia's arm and brought her to the edge of the Rainbow Bridge. Vyperia, shocked to see him alive and well, looked at him with astonishment for a moment—Odin glanced at her quickly, his expression hard with resentment, disgrace, and obvious disapproval—then they looked to the falling princes. Thor gasped roughly as Odin caught him by his leg. Thor dangled over the edge. He held Gungnir in his hand. On the other side of Gungnir, Loki held on with one hand. He looked up to see Vyperia's face; steady tears ran down her cheeks, distraught with worry and plagued by concern.

"Come on," she cried, tears running down her face. "Climb up…I'll help you."

Vyperia's hold was around Thor's other leg, but she offered her arm, leaning over the Rainbow Bridge desperately.

Loki struggled to hold on; the slightest move made him move away.

"_Please, Loki…_" Vyperia begged.

Loki looked to Odin.

"I could have done it, Father!" he cried out. "I could have done it!"

Vyperia wearily glanced at Odin, who slowly shook his head.

"For you!" Loki said softly, "_For all of us…_"

"No, Loki…"

Vyperia turned her eyes to Loki, pleading with him.

Loki searched his father's eyes for some kind of approval or redemption; but all he saw was disappointment and regret.

"Loki, no," said Thor quietly, as Loki's face hardened.

"_Darling, listen to me!"_ Vyperia cried toward him, knowing that look. "_It doesn't matter what Odin thinks of you! It doesn't matter!"_

Odin glanced at her. Such a calm girl was reduced to one who bargained with death.

"_Loki, grab onto me…I'll pull you up!"_ she called down to him.

Yet as she implored and begged him, Loki's eyes met hers one last time.

Then he let go.

"_NO!_" Thor screamed as Loki fell back toward the wormhole.

Vyperia's gaze emptied as she watched Loki fade from her.

Steady tears renewed and fell from her eyes, and he was no more than a fallen star…

_A/N: To be continued..._


End file.
